Life can feel loud, fast, and unpredictable. But God offers us something the world can’t: perfect peace. In this episode of The Heart Rest Podcast, Crystal gently invites you to lay down the weight you were never meant to carry and discover the steady calm found only in Jesus.
You’ll learn how to:
- Trade control for surrender and find peace in God’s care
- Anchor your heart with the 3 P’s of Peace: Prayer, Presence, and Perspective
- Pause and breathe in the truth that Jesus is holding you, even when life is shaking
If your soul is craving quiet and your heart is longing for peace, this episode will help you slow down, exhale, and experience what it means to be held in perfect peace by the One who never lets go.
Held in Perfect Peace: Staying in God’s Calm When Life Feels Chaotic
You can carry a peaceful heart, even in an unpeaceful world.
The world tugs at us from every side, and our hearts so often echo its chaos.
But Jesus offers us another way—a stillness that anchors us from within,
even when nothing around us changes.
In today’s episode, we’ll gently explore how to rest in God’s perfect peace
and live anchored in His calm.
Peace Isn’t Found in Control—It’s Found in Surrender
Years ago, I read The Hiding Place, and Corrie Ten Boom shared a story that forever reshaped how I view peace.
She wrote about asking her father the meaning of a word she’d overheard at school. Instead of answering, he invited her to try to lift his heavy traveling case. She couldn’t budge it—her small arms too weak for the weight.
Her father gently told her that some things are simply too heavy to carry until the right time—and some things only he could carry for her.
(If you’d like the full version, I share it in Episode 6.)
That image stays with me:
Peace isn’t about clutching for control. It’s about releasing what we were never meant to carry—and trusting our Father to hold it instead.
I don’t have to hold it all. Jesus holds me.
So often, in the swirl of tragedy or heartbreak, we ask, why?
Why would someone do this? How could this happen?
Elizabeth Elliot wrote in A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael, “Faith does not eliminate questions. But faith knows where to take them.”
And I’ve found that to be true. We may bring our questions to God …
but more often than not, He answers with Himself.
With His presence. His nearness. His peace.
GOD’S PEACE IS A GUARD OVER YOUR HEART AND MIND
In one of her teachings, Elizabeth Elliot told of a woman who clung to these words through hardship:
“For this I have Jesus.”
Those words are now written on my bathroom mirror.
I first scribbled them there when we evacuated from Hurricane Milton last year—
and though I haven’t faced a hurricane since, I’ve faced plenty of days that feel like one inside.
And each time, my eyes meet that mirror,
I remember: for this too, I have Jesus.
Peace Is a Person—Jesus Himself
Peace doesn’t come from positions, possessions, or people.
Those may offer fleeting moments of calm—but true, lasting peace is found only in the Person of Jesus.
He is our wholeness—body, mind, and spirit.
In Him, we discover what I call heart rest—a deep, steady peace that holds us even when life feels chaotic.
3 P’s of Peace—Prayer, Presence, and Perspective
When your world feels loud or heavy, these 3 P’s of Peace—Prayer, Presence, and Perspective—can gently anchor your heart back in Him.
1. Prayer — Laying Down What You Were Never Meant to Carry
When anxiety rises, prayer is often the first thread of peace we can grasp.
It loosens our grip and shifts the weight from our shoulders to God’s hands.
Prayer doesn’t need to be long or eloquent—it just needs to be honest.
You might whisper, “Jesus, this feels heavy… but You are stronger than this storm,”
or simply pray, “Lord, I give this to You. Carry what I can’t.”
Or pray my favorite three-word prayer, “Jesus, help me.”
Philippians 4:6–7 promises that when we bring our requests to God with thanksgiving, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Prayer opens the door… and peace quietly walks in.
2. Presence — Returning to the Here and Now with God
So often our minds rush ahead to what-ifs or loop back through what-was.
But peace lives in neither of those places.
Peace lives here—in this present moment—because that’s where Jesus meets us. He is the great I AM.
One simple practice I love is what I call a Peace Pause:
- Inhale deeply and whisper, “You are here.”
- Exhale slowly and breathe out, “And I am held.”
This pause reorients your heart to His nearness, reminding you that
you don’t walk through chaos alone—God is here.
3. Perspective — Remembering What’s True
Peace doesn’t come when everything around you calms down.
It comes when you remember Who is with you in the midst of it all.
When fear builds or overwhelm rises, gently ask:
“Am I looking at this through the lens of fear … or through the lens of faith?”
Perspective shifts everything.
Instead of “What if everything falls apart?”
you can whisper, “Even if everything shakes … Jesus will not.”
or, “I trust God to bring His glory and my good out of even this.”
Isaiah 26:3 reminds us:
“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You.”
Peace isn’t about having control.
It’s about fixing our eyes on the One who holds it all together.
Practicing the 3 P’s of Peace
Whenever your heart feels scattered, try pausing right where you are:
- Inhale deeply and say, “You are here.”
- Exhale slowly and say, “And I am held.”
This gentle rhythm draws your gaze back to Jesus—
and in Him, you are safe … and you are held.
And remember, you don’t have to hold it all. Jesus holds you.
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you,
Isaiah 26:3
all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
JOURNAL QUESTION
Where do you need to invite God’s peace to meet you today?
My prayer is that today’s encouragement about being held in perfect peace
helps you create a rhythm of rest in your life.
Remember, life may be complicated, but true rest comes when we keep first things first—and release the rest into His hands.
As we close, I want to leave you with this quote from John Ortberg:
“Peace doesn’t come from finding a lake with no storms.
It comes from having Jesus in the boat.”
Until next time,
may you rest close to His heart and live from His peace.
