Perfect Peace - What is that?

Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

Is this for real? Perfect peace. Not just peace, but perfect peace. Man, I'm not there. You? I have a lot of ups and downs, highs and lows.

Later in this chapter it also reads (verse 7):

... those who are righteous, the way is not steep and rough. You are a God who does what is right, and you smooth out the path ahead of them.

The way I'm walking seems both steep and rough at times, and certainly not smooth.

So, what's wrong with me? Am I not walking in God's way? Am I not righteous?

Pondering these verses I had an epiphany. There is a lot wrong with me. And, I'm certainly not righteous. Nevertheless, God has chosen to use me and has stated that his power is made perfect (there's that word again) in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). I believe God has called me for a specific purpose. When I live in that purpose, I'm energized, passionate, and fulfilled. So, what causes the lack of perfect peace and the rough journey.

In the latter part of verse 3, the passage reads "all whose thoughts are fixed on [Him]." My discouragement and difficulties almost always come when I focus on the issues and the reactions of those who are not aligned with the mission or the methods. When challenged by these issues and reactions, the questions always come: Am I doing something wrong? Am I walking in God's will? Do I know what I'm doing?

Verse 8 is the theme for the 268 Generation (http://www.268generation.com/). I'll use their version here which is a merging of several translations:

"Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your truth, we wait eagerly for you, for your name and your renown are the desires of our souls."

God calls me to be obedient - to walk in His way. When I'm obedient to his call, when I wait on Him and my thoughts are focused on him, there will be perfect peace -- even amidst the storms. The way will be smooth ... not necessarily in the journey, but in my relationship with him. Because this journey isn't about me or how I feel. This journey is about the name and the renown of God.

I find hope in verse 4, "Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock."