You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Isaiah 26:3 NIVUK
One of the most spectacular castles I have ever seen is Predjama Castle in Slovenia. It's not the easiest place to get to. But trust me: it's worth booking a tour. You arrive and you have to walk across a great brick bridge to get there, so it has the feel of being unapproachable. Then you are totally taken aback. The entire castle looks like it's been fastened onto the side of a massive cliff. It's quite the sight.
But what's more intriguing is what happened there hundreds of years ago. You see, a knight was holed up in there when his enemy came up with a grand plan to defeat the knight. There was only one way in or out. The knight appeared to be cornered. So his enemy blocked the bridge, brought a small army and some supplies, and prepared to put the castle under siege. Great plan, right?
Wrong! Because in Slovene the word Predjama means 'in front of the cave'. The castle was actually built in front of the Postojna Caves system. Away from view, it's possible to leave through the back of the castle and enter a series of pathways through the caves to surrounding villages. So while the enemy stayed in front of the castle, his supplies slowly dwindling, the knight sent out messengers to get food from the villages and ate like a king.
It's an amusing story. But do you know something? Isaiah tells us in this verse that when the circumstances of life are beseiging us, we have no reason at all to be afraid. Why? Because we can have perfect peace from God.
King David wrote the words below in his most famous psalm:
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Psalms 23:4-5 NIVUK
Even in this psalm, David talks about enjoying peace and the Lord's favour in the presence of threat and danger. Friends, this is a critical concept for us nowadays. It's as if the whole world is conspiring to cause us to panic. But we have no need to do so. The Lord can give us peace that is not dependent on our circumstances. The Lord can make us strong when everyone around us is weak. The Lord can get us through this.
There are four aspects of His peace that are there for us right now, if we seek Him. The first of these, which we will meditate on in my next post, is SECURITY.
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