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"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee. Isaiah 26:3

In a competition to paint a picture depicting "peace", the winner was not the artist who portrayed a quiet pastoral scene, but rather, a painter who painted a huge "dynamo" running noisily, but well. Peace, you see, is not always absolute quiet and rest from activity; rather peace can be action and activity minus squabbling, fighting and discord.

Peace of mind, that is, the ability to meet prob...

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"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee. Isaiah 26:3

In a competition to paint a picture depicting "peace", the winner was not the artist who portrayed a quiet pastoral scene, but rather, a painter who painted a huge "dynamo" running noisily, but well. Peace, you see, is not always absolute quiet and rest from activity; rather peace can be action and activity minus squabbling, fighting and discord.

Peace of mind, that is, the ability to meet problems without collapsing in a mental heap, is possible. St. Paul, who desired peace for his readers in every letter he wrote, possessed peace even though he hardly lived on easy street. So, of course, did Jesus Christ who on the night before the Cross, could calmly talk about "my peace" and bequeath the same to his nervous disciples.

And peace among human beings? For many today, peace seems among the most unlikely of scenarios. But, remember, the early Christians were well known as those who truly loved and cared for one another.

Today, it is thrilling to hear of warring peoples who have become friends with their former adversaries once they found peace with God through Jesus Christ. Though obvious, this is the clue that seems to escape so many.

Romans 5:10 describes those "not reconciled to Christ" as enemies of God. This, then, is the root of all our conflict. I cannot have peace of mind or peace with my neighbor as long as I am arguing with God. The good news for today is that "peace with God" is wonderfully possible since the white flag of truce has been raised by the Great Reconciler who has "made peace by the blood of His cross." (Colossians 1:20)

Peace of mind and peace with God. This is the "perfect peace" of Isaiah 26:3.

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When Frances Havergal was vacationing in the south of Wales, 1876, she caught a severe cold, accompanied by inflammation of the lungs. Hearing how ill she was, and that she might die, she replied, "If I am really going, it is too good to be true." Her friends were amazed at how peacefully she received this information. She did survive that illness, and later that year she wrote the hymn "Like a River Glorious" in which she pointed to the source of her perfect peace: "Stayed upon Jehovah, h...

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When Frances Havergal was vacationing in the south of Wales, 1876, she caught a severe cold, accompanied by inflammation of the lungs. Hearing how ill she was, and that she might die, she replied, "If I am really going, it is too good to be true." Her friends were amazed at how peacefully she received this information. She did survive that illness, and later that year she wrote the hymn "Like a River Glorious" in which she pointed to the source of her perfect peace: "Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blessed, finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest."

Miss Havergal, a devout Bible scholar, echoed Isaiah in "Like a River Glorious" in which God promises "peace like a river." She also incorporated Isaiah 26:3, which states "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." "Like a River Glorious" paints the picture of this peace.

Miss Havergal wrote to another hymn writer who had also written about peace. In her letter, Miss Havergal quoted Romans 5:1 "We have peace with God," adding "It is yours already, purchased for you, made for you, sealed for you, pledged to you – by the word of the Father and the precious blood of Jesus."

The hymn was first published in its present form with the name "Perfect Peace," in Hymns of Consecration and Faith, 1876.

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