Isn't this an absolutely beautiful verse of assurance? With all the pressures that our minds are placed under, isn't it wonderfully reassuring to know that God understands the rest that our minds need, and that He is ready to supply us with all that we need for our mental peace?
The KJV expresses this verse and the following in a beautiful way,
Thou wil keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trustest in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever; for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.Robert J. Morgan states,
Isaiah 26 was written by Isaiah for the land of Judah as a song of praise for the blessings of the Messiah's kingdom. Among those blessings is perfect peace. Verses 3 and 4 go together beautifully and provide one of the most meaningful and memorable passages in the Old Testament.
In describing the couplet, perfect peace, as used in this verse, Mr. Morgan adds,
The original Hebrew says that God will keep in shalom, shalom those whose minds are stayed on Him. The word shalom means more than a cessation of conflict. It conveys the idea of wholeness, quietness of spirit, safety, blessing, happiness of heart. The double use of the word multiplies its intensity.
God's message is consistent - from the prophecies of the Old Testament to Christ's discussion with His disciples...our faith is to produce peace. Our faith drives our minds to focus on God and on His all-encompassing love for us; that kind of faith develops trust. I believe that where God wants us to ultimately find ourselves is in a state of complete trust in Him. When we arrive to the state of that intense and absolute trust, we will also find intense and absolute peace.
Did you know that the United States and France have the highest rates of depression in the world? What does that statistic say to the non-Christian world about the peace that our faith brings to us? (I'm not speaking about the witness that France has, since I do not believe France claims to be a predominantly Christian nation at this point.) But the United States, even though we are rapidly becoming more and more religiously mixed, still claims a 78% Christian level as of 2009. So with 78% of the people in our country claiming Christianity as their stated religious belief, we still lead the world in rate of depression. That doesn't seem to be a correlation that would convince someone that Christian faith promotes mental peace, does it?
What it tells me is that 21st century, U.S. Christians have done a terribly poor job of developing a dependency and life-affecting trust in God. We still think that we can solve all our problems and that we can make all things right. We are very arrogant in our self-confidence...but falsely arrogant. For deep in the pit of our stomachs, we know we are failing and that we don't have the answers and we become nervous wrecks trying to accomplish it all and to have all the necessary answers.
God is saying, "Depend on Me - trust in Me - and I will relieve your fretful minds."
Depend on - Trust in - Depend on - Trust in - Depend on - Trust in...who is that dependable and trustworthy? Any human being? NEVER! Everlasting and all powerful God? FOREVER!
1 comment:
The Peace God provides for us cannot be received in another way, but through our love and trust in Him. God is everlasting - many years before us and many years after. I look to God for my troubled heart to be comforted with the Peace of Lord Jesus Christ. It is true, We must depend and trust our God, letting Him know that He leads us through our troubled lives. God's Peace is greater than any pill we can take - for our troubles. Wouldn't it be great if those in this big, huge world could only look up to God to find comfort. We do need to live lives dependent on Christ and trusting His Love. I am thankful I have Christ alive in my heart.
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