Thankfully, Jesus offers us a different kind of peace. He offers a peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7)! With this peace in our hearts, no matter what’s going on around us, we can remain calm and content. Because we know Jesus is in control and has the final say over everything in our lives, we can face conflict, stress and hardships with an unwavering peace. 

I’ll never forget some tumultuous years at my school during my first decade of teaching. We went through several leadership transitions, and people were often afraid of losing their jobs. The daily working atmosphere was extremely tense and on edge. Many coworkers struggled, and it certainly wasn’t a walk in the park for me either, but I can distinctly remember feeling an overwhelming sense of peace in the midst of negativity, unrest and chaos. Why? Because I had God’s peace that passes understanding in my heart. I knew that nothing would happen that He didn’t allow to happen, so I didn’t need to worry. I was safe in His arms, and if He wanted me to keep my job at that school, I had nothing to worry about. If He didn’t want me to keep my job there? Then I sure as heck didn’t want to be there. Staying safely under the Lord’s sovereign umbrella of protection was my top priority, and I trusted in Him completely. He rewarded me with His deep, abiding peace.

There’s a precious Bible verse I return to time after time when I feel myself slipping away from the peace of Jesus. When situations arise and my mind is prone to thinking contentious thoughts, I will literally repeat this verse over and over in my head. Every time my thoughts start to wander somewhere they shouldn’t be, I recite it again. I consciously take my negative thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) and replace them with these words from Scripture: 

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you. -Isaiah 26:3

That’s it! That’s the verse. In my own personal life experiences, this verse has brought me back into Heaven’s perfect peace when the world’s grip on me has threatened to pull me under. When I keep my mind fixed on Jesus, trusting in His wisdom and power, He keeps me in His perfect peace. What an incredible exchange, right?! Here are a couple other translations of this same verse that I love:  

People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole, steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don’t quit. -Isaiah 26:3, The Message

You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation]. -Isaiah 26:3, Amplified

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. -Isaiah 26:3, English Standard Version

With perfect peace you will protect those whose minds cannot be changed, because they trust you. -Isaiah 26:3, God’s Word Translation

Living with the peace of God in your heart is a gamechanger. With His peace, nothing can break you. Nothing can steal your joy, and nothing can crack your foundation. You can stand up to anything, face anything, withstand anything and overcome anything. God’s peace is unlike anything the world offers. It’s more reliable than a treaty, more promising than election results, more unchanging than people’s opinions, and more trustworthy than the best man made shelter. It is one-of–a-kind. And with that incredible peace inside your heart, you are unshakeable. 

So repeat Isaiah 26:3 over and over to yourself whenever your mind starts to drift away from Jesus. Is worry creeping in? Isaiah 26:3. Anger? Isaiah 26:3. Fear? Bitterness? Unforgiveness? Unkindness? Isaiah 26:3. Watch and see what the Lord will do. If you keep your mind steadfastly trusting in Him alone, He will keep you in His perfect peace—the absolute best place to be.