“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” – Isaiah 26:3
LIGHT FOR NOW: The direction of your mind greatly affects the condition of your heart. Peace becomes possible when the mind stops feeding on uncertainty and becomes firmly established in the faithfulness of God.
Isaiah gives us a powerful connection between the mind, trust, and peace: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee”. Notice that the promise of peace is connected to where the mind is stayed. An anxious mind rarely stays in one place. It moves from one possibility to another. It asks, “What if?” It imagines what could go wrong. It rehearses conversations that have not happened. It creates scenarios that may never become reality. The mind becomes exhausted because it is constantly trying to predict and control the future. But Isaiah presents another kind of mind: A mind stayed on God. The Hebrew thought behind “stayed” carries the idea of being established, supported, or leaning upon something. The picture is of a person whose mind has found somewhere to rest. This does not mean that the person has no problems. It means the problems are no longer the foundation upon which the mind rests; God is.
There is a difference between thinking about your situation and being consumed by your situation. You may acknowledge what is happening without allowing it to become greater in your mind than the God who is with you. This is where trust becomes powerful. The verse says: “Because he trusteth in thee”. Trust gives the mind permission to rest. When you trust God, you do not need to know everything before you can have peace. You do not need to understand every detail. You do not need to know exactly how every prayer will be answered. You simply know that God is faithful. Sometimes anxiety asks: “What will happen to me?” Faith responds: “Whatever happens, God will remain faithful”. That is the difference.
Faith does not always give you information about tomorrow. It gives you confidence in the God who already knows tomorrow. The Scripture calls it “perfect peace”. The Hebrew expression is shalom shalom; peace doubled for emphasis. It speaks of completeness, wholeness, and well-being. God desires that His peace become more than a temporary emotional feeling. He desires it to become an inward stability. The storm may still be outside, but the heart does not have to become a storm inside. This is why what you repeatedly meditate on matters. If your mind constantly rehearses fear, fear becomes louder. If your mind continually remembers God’s faithfulness, faith becomes stronger.
So when anxiety begins to pull your thoughts into the future, bring your mind back. Back to God’s Word; back to His promises; back to His character; back to His faithfulness; and back to trust. You cannot always control what enters your mind. But you can choose what you continually give your attention to. Let God become the resting place of your thoughts. And as your mind learns to stay on Him, your heart will discover a peace that circumstances cannot manufacture and circumstances cannot easily take away. Glory!
INSTRUCTION: Whenever your thoughts begin to wander into fear today, deliberately bring your mind back to God. Meditate on one promise from His Word and consciously remind yourself: “God is faithful, and I trust Him”.
CONFESSION/PRAYER: Father, I choose to establish my mind upon You. I refuse to allow fearful possibilities to control my thoughts. Teach me to trust You beyond what I can see or understand. Let Your perfect peace guard my heart and mind as I remain conscious of Your faithfulness. My mind is stayed on You, and my heart rests in You, in Jesus Name. Amen.
For More Light; get the message, “The Law of Faith” by Dr. John Linus
QUOTE: Peace enters the heart when the mind finds something greater to rest upon than the problem before it.
DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: ISAIAH CHAPTER 26:1-9; EVENING: PHILIPPIANS CHAPTER 4:4-9
