Peace, Quietness and Trust

“And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.” Isaiah 32:17-18 

“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17

Although the passage in Isaiah above is specifically describing the time during the Second Coming of Christ when justice and righteous will be evident everywhere, it also has application to the Christian life today. The person who has received God’s forgiveness has His righteousness imparted to him (I Corinthians 1:30). Christians are then at peace with God (Romans 5:1). Peace is the effect of being righteous. The result of peace brings quietness and confident trust in God. That is, a holy serenity and security of mind by which the soul enjoys itself and God, and it is not in the power of this world to disturb it in those enjoyments.

As I grow older, I often think about Heaven and the wonder of it. Freedom from sin but above all the peace and quiet places and happiness that we will have as we rest in the presence and security of our Savior. In this life, we are tempted to a life of worry and anxiety and turmoil because of all of the trials and tribulations we see in the world and that come into our lives at times. As Christians, however, we are not called to this kind of life as the Kingdom of God is righteous, peace and joy in the Spirit, including even now in this life as a foretaste of Heaven. The Holy Spirit has been given to us to ensure that we can have a life such as this. Our duty is to walk in the Spirit which can empower us to a life of peace, quietness, secure trust and joy even in the midst of the turmoil of life.