One of the greatest obstacles to experiencing peace isn’t what is happening around us, it’s our desire to have control. If we’re honest, most of us like having control. We want a plan, and we especially want to know how things will turn out. We want our questions answered and problems solved before they become bigger problems. And, honestly, God often calls us to plan wisely, work diligently, and take responsibility.
The problem comes when we begin carrying responsibilities God never asked us to carry. Somewhere along the way, planning has a way of becoming worry. Preparation becomes control, and responsibility turns to anxiety. And soon, we’re exhausted—not because life is difficult, but because we’re trying to be God.
In one of today’s scriptures, notice that Isaiah doesn’t say, He promises perfect peace to perfect people with perfect circumstances. He promises it to people whose minds are fixed on God. The phrase perfect peace is actually the Hebrew expression shalom, shalom—a repetition used to emphasize completeness. We might say, “peace upon peace.” This kind of peace comes from trust. Peace grows wherever trust takes root.
Jesus paints another picture in Matthew 11. He invites weary people to take His yoke upon themselves. To us, a yoke might sound restrictive, but to Jesus’ listeners, a yoke represented partnership. As the two oxen pulled together under one yoke it was the stronger animal carried most of the weight while the younger learned to walk alongside.
Jesus never said, “Carry your burdens by yourself.” He said, “Walk with Me.” Trusting is a daily choice to stop pulling the load alone. This is why so many are tired today, we’re carrying things like the future, other people’s opinions, outcomes we can’t control and questions we can’t answer. Peace begins the moment we place those burdens back into the hands of the One who has never dropped anything. The Holy Spirit produces peace as we learn to loosen our grip and strengthen our trust. Every act of trust becomes an opportunity for peace to grow.
