With the Peace of God Comes Joy Unspeakable!

James R. Aist

“…in whom, though you do not see Him now, you believe and you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory…” (1 Peter1:8)

In an earlier article (click HERE), I wrote about how the peace of God surpasses all understanding. One huge benefit of the peace of God is that we have an anchor for the soul that enables us to be at peace deep inside while storms of tragedy and tribulation rage all around us. The present article will focus on another benefit of the peace of God; namely, “joy unspeakable and full of glory.” It is my conviction that without this peace of God deep within us, we will never be able to fully experience this kind of joy.

The journey to “joy unspeakable” begins with the love of God, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Once God has saved us, we have “peace with God”, because our sins are forgiven. At that point, we are in a position to experience the “peace of God”, but that experience will not be fully realized until we settle with God several key issues of biblical doctrine, as delineated in the earlier article. When we agree with God about these things, without reservation and with the help of the Holy Spirit in us, then we are able to “rejoice with joy unspeakable.” And so, we have a progression of steps in our journey to this kind of joy: the love of God, peace with God, the peace of God and, then, joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Colossians 3:15 says, “Let the peace of God, to which also you are called in one body, rule in your hearts…” This verse tells me that we are called, not only to be free from the law of sin and death, but also to have the peace of God ruling in our hearts. And, this is why, without this peace of God deep within us, we will never be able to fully experience joy unspeakable. When the peace of God actually rules in our heart, then the joy we have cannot be diminished, or even threatened, by storms of tragedy, tribulation or any other external circumstance; the God whose peace rules in our hearts will not allow it. The result is joy that is so glorious as to defy description!

Psalm 103:2 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits…” So, let’s not forget one added benefit: that “the joy of the Lord is our strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). That’s exactly what we need to weather the storms of life victoriously!

(To read more of my articles with a biblical theme, click HERE)