"Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ" - Galatians 1:3

Praise God for His grace! For His unlimited power to save mankind from the ruin of sin.

However is there a connection between grace and peace? If so, what is it?

Let's allow the Bible to interpret itself.

In Mark chapter 4, we find the disciples of Jesus in a ship on the sea of Galilee. Jesus is with them as they cross over. Let's pick it up in verse 37.

"And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?" - Mark 4:37-38

Can you imagine this scene. Picture the dark angry clouds clashing against each other, lighting illuminating the form of the disciples desperately trying to bail water out of their ship. A strong wind tossing them to and fro on the turbulent waters.

However, even in the midst of this storm, while the disciples were terrified of perishing, Jesus was at perfect peace, asleep, in the back part of the ship.

What a contrast between the divine Son of God and the disciples, between perfect peace and fearfulness. After the disciples awoke Jesus, we read:

"And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?" - Mark 4:39-40

In the midst of the storm, Jesus was at peace, perfect peace. Not a trace of fear could be found on the expression of His face. Yet it wasn't because of His mighty power as creator of the elements that gave Him that peace. He had laid aside his divine power in taking the form of man, He says "I can of mine own self do nothing" (John 5:30). It was His faith, his perfect trust in the power of His Father, that gave Him peace in the midst of the storm.

And why were the disciples so fearful? Why were they sore afraid? The answer is given in Jesus' words "how is it that ye have no faith".

You see, the secret to great peace, is faith! Fear cannot exist if we exercise faith in the might power of God. Listen to this promise:

"Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on thee]: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH [is] everlasting strength:" - Isaiah 26:3-4

God promises to keep those in perfect peace, whose minds are stayed on Him. Yes! We can have the same perfect peace that Jesus had in the sea of Galilee when the storm was raging.

However, what does it mean to keep our minds stayed on God? Stayed means "fixed" or "settled".

If my mind is fixed on my Saviour, will I act and make decisions as without first consulting Him? If my mind is firmly settled on the promises of God, will I forget that He is the ever present redeemer and that His grace is sufficient for me?

Of course not. You see, when our minds are stayed on God, we will continually be aware of the abiding presence of Him who says "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). We will act as though Christ were visibly right by our side.

How is it possible to keep our minds fixed on Him and on His promises? "because he trusteth in thee". Again we see that the key to perfect peace, is faith! Faith in the Lord Jehovah, in whom is everlasting strength, in whom is unlimited grace, sufficient for our every need. By faith, our minds are fixed on Him, and we have peace.

How is peace only possible through faith? And Why? How does faith fix our minds on God?

Imagine that you have something very important you need to do later on in the day. In order to remember you tie a string around your finger. Now every time you see that piece of string you remember, Ah yes, I have do to that important task later today.

Just like the piece of string is a reminder, so faith will remind us of the presence of God.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" - Hebrews 11:1

Can we see God? No. But by faith, can we live as though we could see God? Yes. Therefore faith is the evidence of things not seen. And thus, faith will fix our minds on God.

Now once, by faith, we are continually aware of the presence of God, and of His powerful promises, that He is all powerful (Matthew 28:18), that His grace is sufficient for us (2 Corinthians 12:9), and that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), will our lives be the same as before? Or will the way we think and act change?

If we have this living active faith in Christ, if we trust Him 100% in sunshine and in storm, our lives will be totally transformed. By beholding Christ by faith (remember, "the evidence of things not seen" Hebrews 11:1) we will be "changed into the same image" (2 Corinthians 3:18).

When a trial comes to us and we are tempted to deny our Lord, we will instead remember that God has promised to abide with us, that He promises strength. Therefore by exercising faith we can resist temptation and be an overcomer!

Mark these words: "...this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith" - 1 John 5:4

Faith = Victory. No Faith = Defeat.

Now to wrap this all up, how does faith and victory give us peace?

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:" - Romans 5:1

To be justified is to be forgiven and pardoned from all past sins. This is only possible when we confess our sins to Christ and by faith, claim His promise of forgiveness (1 John 1:9).

Now here is the key. Therefore being forgiven of sin we have peace. Perfect forgiveness = perfect peace. No forgiveness = No peace.

Once we are forgiven, do we then go back to our sins? No, but by faith in "Him that is able to keep you from falling" (Jude 1:24) we continue on to overcome and by therefore remaining in victory with our minds stayed on Christ, we remain in perfect peace.

Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them." - Psalms 119:165

Does the criminal in jail love the law under which he is condemned? No, of course he doesn't
But does the forgiven criminal, now a freeman, love the law and seek to live by its precepts? Yes!

So it is with us. By faith in the merits of our crucified and risen saviour, we are forgiven and cleansed of sin. We then love the divine law, we see that it has been put in place for the good of man . And by thus loving God's law, we have great peace. Just like Jesus in that storm, we will have absolute perfect peace regardless of the turmoil around.

In Summary

1. Jesus had absolute perfect peace in the storm (Mark 4:37-78)
2. The disciples were exceedingly fearful, they had no faith (Mark 4:39-40)
3. We will be in perfect peace by keeping our minds stayed on God. (Isaiah 26:3)
4. Our minds are stayed on God by faith (Isaiah 26:3-4)
5. Faith is the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1)
6. By faith, we will be continually aware of the presence of the all-powerful, unseen God (Heb 13:5)
7. This faith changes our life (2 Corinthians 3:18)
8. Through faith, we gain the victory over sin (John 5:4)
9. Perfect forgiveness = perfect peace (Romans 5:1)
10. By coming to Christ in faith and being forgiven and cleansed of sin, we have peace. (1 John 1:9)
11. Great peace is for those that love God's law (Psalms 119:165)

Dear reader, again, read this promise:

"Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ" - Galatians 1:3

Does it take on new meaning?

May this promise become a reality in our lives.