Isaiah 26:3-4 

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! 4 Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.

In part I we were reminded of where peace comes from and we had to ask ourselves who we are looking to and trusting in? We were confronted with the greatest question of all: Have you begun your pursuit of peace, have you trusted in the promise of eternal life made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Verse 4 is the logical assertion of the truth of verse 3, “Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.” If it is true that trust in God results in a steadfast mind which is kept in peace, then everyone should be urged to trust in the Lord. The cry of the redeemed should be for all men to place their trust in the One through whom redemption and peace is found. Trust involves a renouncing of confidence in you or in any other and placing complete reliance upon Yahweh alone.  If you truly desire hope and peace in this life then you have to wrestle with the question in who have you place your confidence, is it in God?  We cannot obtain peace on our own because our minds are unstable and rest upon nothing solid, nothing eternal. The human heart by its very nature is not stable, our mind is prone to waver and change with every shifting wind of thinking and teaching. The stated reason to trust God is because He is the eternal rock the Rock of Ages. The Lord God is the rock who endures forever, He is the eternal One, the only Rock upon which eternal life can be built. All the assaults and aberrations of time itself cannot change or alter God, He alone stands sure and enduring. The truth that no matter what happens the Everlasting Rock is there for you is your priceless possession. In an uncertain world God is the only firm and tested foundation upon which we can rest. Are you abiding in the firm and constant foundation? Are you resting on the Rock Eternal and unchangeable, preserved in His perfect peace, or are you trying to run through the changing quicksand of human opinion?

Peace can only be found in the Eternal God who has revealed Himself through the Bible, will you trust in Him who was, who is, and who is to come? He is the Rock of Ages, a firm and lasting foundation for faith and hope upon whom to build your life. The words to the old hymn “Rock of Ages” were written by the Reverend Augustus Montague Toplady in 1763 when he was travelling along a gorge and was caught in a storm. Finding shelter in a gap in the gorge, he was struck by the title “Rock of Ages” and in the midst of the storm he scribbled down the initial lyrics in the sheltered of the fissure.

“Rock of Ages cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee;

Let the water and the blood, From Thy wounded side which flowed,

Be of sin the double cure, Save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labors of my hands Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;

These for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone:

In my hand no price I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling.

While I draw this fleeting breath, When mine eyes shall close in death,

When I rise to worlds un-know, And behold Thee on Thy throne,

Rock of Ages cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.” – Toplady

The house that is built on the eternal rock will provide and protect in any storm and those that trust in God not only find in Him, but receive from Him, everlasting strength. This same strength that carries them through life will also carry them into everlasting life, into that blessedness which is forever and ever. Are you ready to trust God every day and never cast away or lose confidence in Him? Have you found peace with God? For those that do, God offers a relationship that leads to experiencing more and more of the peace of God in the here and now of our daily living. God is aware of your circumstances, but He calls you to live above not beneath your circumstances. He calls you to a steadfast confidence in Him and in His Word. Regardless of our circumstances we serve a God whose strength is as limitless as His love, and who has purposed to bless all those who will commit themselves to Him. Will you focus your mind and your life on God and trust Him? If you do the peace of God which surpassed all understanding will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus. The issue of trust is always the key, in whom or what are you trusting? The answer to that question is found in the reality, the extent, and depth of the peace you are currently experiencing. When we repose upon the Lord, we find that place of rest and the mind that rests upon Him is the mind that takes refuge in Him. Is He your Rock of Ages?