Isaiah 26:3-4 English Standard Version
3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
The Lord will keep us in perfect peace. When we think of the peace of God we find from God’s word that it is beyond human understanding. When human beings think about peace they often think it is the absence of trial or conflict. But this is very different when we come to understand the peace of God. The peace of God is not only supernatural, but also tangible. It can be felt and experienced and is often felt amid conflict and trial.
A wonderful picture of the peace of God is during a storm a mother bird covers her chicks in her nest. The mother bird knows the storm is raging and can feel it, but the baby birds find protection from the storm in the shadow of the wing of their mother. The mother is using her body to protect her young. This is what David wrote about in Psalm 91. Where we find the peace of God and experience it is in the shadow of the Almighty. It is in the secret place of the Most High. We must become a person of God’s presence for the peace of God to permeate every area of our lives.
The key to experiencing the peace of God is having our mind and heart stayed upon the Lord. It is very easy to become focused on circumstances and trials that we are facing. But the Lord tells us that perfect peace is find in keeping our mind and heart fixed upon the Lord. This becomes a reality when we daily abide in Christ. As we daily draw near to the Lord in prayer and in His word, we will find that our minds and hearts are stayed upon the Lord even in the most difficult circumstances.
Ultimately, we are called to trust the Lord. He is our everlasting rock. He is our unshakable foundation. He is unchanging and nothing we face is greater than God. He calls us to trust Him and not to lean on our own understanding. It is very easy to begin to look at circumstances and try to figure out how God will move or how we can figure it out. But God isn’t calling us to do that.
He is calling us to trust His leading and to trust the process. God has a purpose in everything, and He will work all things together for our good for those who love Him and follow Him. He is not surprised by anything but if we desire His peace in all and every circumstance, we must always trust the Lord and keep our minds and hearts fixed upon Him.
Prayer
Father help me to trust when I am afraid. Help me to trust when I feel overwhelmed and I experience anxiety and fear. I know when I experience fear it is not based on truth. You have told that you have not given me a spirit of fear but of love, power, and sound mind. Help me to be the son or daughter you have called me to be. Fill my life with your peace and may your peace touch those around me that do not know you. In the name of Jesus, Amen!
Reflection Questions
1. What are you going through today that is trying to take your eyes off of God?
2. What is God trying to teach you right now through the challenges you are facing?
3. When was the last time you got alone with God and simply gave Him space and time to talk to you?