Perfect Peace in an Imperfect World

Perfect Peace in an Imperfect World

Adapted from a sermon by Pastor Ruffin Hill from Isaiah 26:3

We live in a world that talks constantly about peace. World peace. Political peace. Racial peace. Inner peace. “Keeping the peace.” Yet for all the talking, true peace remains painfully rare.

Isaiah 26:3 gives us a simple but profound promise:

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”

 It’s a promise everyone longs for—but very few people understand. Scripture doesn’t just offer “peace.” It offers perfect peace. And that raises a natural question: What makes this peace so different?

1. Perfect Peace Was Purchased by the Blood of Christ 

Peace with God isn’t something we earn or discover on our own. It was secured at the cross.

Colossians 1:20 tells us that Christ

“made peace through the blood of His cross.”

1 Peter 1:18–19 reminds us that we were redeemed not with silver or gold, but

“with the precious blood of Christ.”

People search everywhere for peace:

• In success

• In relationships

• In possessions

• In pills or pleasures

• In constant self-improvement

But none of it fills the God-shaped emptiness in the human heart. Only Christ does.

2. Perfect Peace Is Received by Faith

Romans 5:1 says:

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 Faith is how we receive what Christ purchased. It’s not intellect, achievement, or good behavior. It’s simply trusting God enough to take Him at His Word.

One of the clearest pictures of this is the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5. After twelve years of suffering, spending everything she had, and trying every earthly remedy, she finally reached for Jesus. With one act of faith—just touching the hem of His garment—her life changed instantly.

Jesus told her:

“Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.”

Faith opens the heart to the peace only Christ can give. Little faith brings a soul to heaven—but great faith brings heaven to the soul.

3. Perfect Peace Is Promised by Jesus Himself

On the night before the cross, Jesus told His disciples:

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth…” – John 14:27

The world’s version of peace is fragile and temporary:

• Bills paid

• No problems for the moment

• Good health

• Smooth circumstances

Christ’s peace is different. It doesn’t remove trouble—it steadies us in trouble. Even when life is uncertain, painful, or overwhelming, His peace doesn’t vanish.

Horatio Spafford, author of “It Is Well With My Soul,” understood this. After losing his fortune in the Chicago fire and then losing his children in a shipwreck, he wrote:

“When peace like a river attendeth my way… whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, ‘It is well with my soul.’”

That is the peace Christ gives… peace deeper than circumstances.

4. So What Does Isaiah 26:3 Really Mean?

Isaiah says:

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee.”

This verse doesn’t promise:

• A life without sorrow

• A life without loss

• A life without trials

 Trouble is inevitable. Loved ones pass away. Finances shake. Health changes. Jobs shift. Relationships struggle. No one escapes hardship. Not even believers.

But God promises something remarkable: He will keep us in peace. The word means “to guard.” Not from trouble, but through it. He guards the mind that is “stayed” on Him. “Stayed” means fixed, rested, anchored. Refusing to drift back to fear, self-reliance, or despair. And He guards the heart that trusts Him. Trust is choosing to rely on God more than the problem.

Perfect peace belongs to the believer whose mind returns again and again to Christ. Especially in the storm. Where Is Your Mind Stayed?

For those who don’t know Christ, peace will always feel temporary or out of reach. Real peace begins with salvation. For those who are saved, this verse still challenges us.

What is your mind fixed on?

• The problem?

• The fear?

• The bank account?

• The diagnosis?

• The relationship?

Or is it fixed on the God who saved you, keeps you, and promises you peace in the midst of every trial?

Perfect peace isn’t found in perfect circumstances. It’s found in a perfect Savior.