To have peace you must focus on God’s presence. What we choose to focus on either fuels our fears or our faith. The Bible says, ‘You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you’ (Isaiah 26:3 NIV). That verse could be reduced to one sentence: ‘Get your focus in order − look at Me.’ The psalmist said, ‘God is…an ever-present help in trouble’ (Psalm 46:1 NIV). Later in that psalm, He reminds us, ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ (v. 10 NIV). These verses were written during the time of Hezekiah. Enemy armed forces had surrounded Jerusalem and the Israelites were tense, so they prayed this prayer! And five minutes before noon, God struck the Assyrians with a plague and 185,000 of them perished. Jerusalem was saved, and everyone was joyful. This psalm helps us remember that God is our refuge. No matter how overwhelming the odds seem, He’s always with us to help. This psalm tells us of two things about receiving God’s help in times of trouble. The first thing is to ‘be still’. Many of our troubles come from our inability to sit still. The second thing is to ‘know that I am God’. Did you know that in the middle of a hurricane or tornado there is a quiet centre called an eye? Likewise, even though everything seems like it’s blowing apart around us, we can have a quiet centre. Be still and know. When we live this way, ‘the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds’ (Philippians 4:7 NIV).
