When I sat down to assemble my thoughts on the topic of peace, the first verse that came to mind is one that God has been bringing to my mind any time I find myself lacking peace over the past few months. The verse is Isaiah 26:3-4
You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
Specifically the first part… “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you”…
For the last 17 years every, Saturday I’ve been met with the mental challenge of being aware of what’s on tap for the next day so I’m ready to execute things effectively. While at the same time, not allowing my thoughts to be carried away by the what if’s and unknowns that potentially await me on a Sunday morning.
While your circumstances and situations may be different, I’m certain many of you can relate. It may not be thinking through the X’s and O’s or uncertainties of ministry on a sunday morning but it might be job related stress, concern for your children, health issues, conflictual relationships, finances… The list is endless
Regardless of the situation you’re facing, all of us have the same problem… When we are focusing on the circumstances of a situation on the horizon our thoughts are not focused on God. There are two key words for me in this passage
The first is the word “Stayed”. This word means to lean or rest your weight upon.
The next word is “Perfect”. Perfect and Peace are a repetition of the same word “Shalom”. In the Hebrew a word would be repeated to magnify intensity. That’s why in Isaiah 6:3 the word holy is used 3 times to emphasize the magnitude of God’s holiness. In this passage we don’t just find peace, we find complete peace when our minds are resting on God. A peace that is not lacking in any way.
The illustration that comes to mind is one of leaning or resting upon something that you’re not sure will hold your weight vs resting upon something you have no doubt can support you. The entire time you’re leaning on the first thing you’re always wondering when/if it will give out vs leaning on the second you’re able fully rest in that moment.
I like this illustration when talking about peace. Focusing on the issues facing us will never lead us to peace, instead we’ll jump from issue to issue wondering when our lives will come tumbling down. However, focusing on God will allow us to rest in the midst of those issues.
I wish I could say I have great advice on how to apply this scripture, but, unfortunately I do not. I still have a long way to go in understanding what it means for my mind to rest upon God in the midst of uncertain circumstances. What I do know is that God keeps His promises. So when His word promises perfect peace, I ought to take every situation and worry to Him even if I don’t fully understand how peace will come from it. Doing that will give God the opportunity to work in me in ways I may not expect or understand.
May the perfect peace found in Christ meet you this Christmas
Adam