Isaiah 48:22 “There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”

This famous statement is repeated in Isaiah 57:21, and it is certainly true. The Japanese is perhaps a bit clearer than the English, because Japanese differentiates between external peace and inner peace, and here it is inner peace. It has also been said that only the wealthy worry about burglars. That’s perhaps not as true, but it’s the same idea. Genuine peace, genuine happiness, doesn’t depend on things, but rather on being in the flow of God’s plans for us. When we are in rebellion against Him, we will certainly not have inner peace! In our youth we perhaps don’t value peace so much, preferring excitement. Teenagers are seldom paragons of inner peace! Life throws us all sorts of curves, and we have to learn to maintain our footing in our Creator. Simply knowing that God loved us enough to send His Son to die for us is a huge first step. To maintain inner peace, we need to go on from there and learn to listen to Him consistently, taking in what He says to us and putting it into practice. That in itself can make for lots of external conflict, as countless saints through the ages have demonstrated, but when we have assurance of who we are in Christ, we can have peace even in martyrdom. Our time here is limited in any case, but knowing where we are going can make all the difference!

I have mentioned her before, but we have a friend who is actively dying of lung cancer. She has greatly exceeded the doctors’ predictions of lifespan, and she is increasingly dependent on external oxygen, but she has no active pain, and she has incredible peace. She’s ready for whatever, whenever! I’m also reminded of what another Japan missionary said at my father’s memorial service. He had visited the hospital just before the surgery from which my father woke up in heaven, and he told us, “I never saw a man with more reason to live, or more ready to die.” That’s how I want to live! I have learned that external things impact me, yes, but they in themselves don’t control me. How I respond to things is up to me, and I am accountable for it all. That statement in itself reminds me that I’ve got a lot of room to grow! The devil doesn’t like it when I have inner peace, but I’m to submit to God and resist the devil. (James 4:7) I am to be a rock for others to depend on, not because I’m strong in myself but because I’m firmly grounded in the Rock, Christ Jesus. When I live like that, I will have inner peace not only for my own benefit but also to draw others to Christ, so that they may have that peace as well.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that things went so well in setting up the gallery show, just as we asked. I do ask for wisdom in the things that remain before the opening this morning. I pray that every aspect of that show would be a reflection of who You are, so that every visitor would be drawn to You. I do ask for good turnout, not for our ego but so that as many people as possible may be exposed to what You want to do through this show, leading to rich fruit in Your kingdom. Thank You. Hallelujah!