In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city;
God makes salvation
its walls and ramparts.
Open the gates
that the righteous nation may enter,
the nation that keeps faith.
You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.
Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.
He humbles those who dwell on high,
he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground
and casts it down to the dust.
Isaiah 26:1-5
Definition of Perfect (according to Strong’s Concordance): completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, completeness (in number), safety, soundness (in body), welfare, health, prosperity, peace, quiet, tranquillity, contentment..
It’s difficult to keep our minds focused on the Lord when there is upheaval in the world. All the noise around us along with circumstances try to pressure people into stress, worry, and panic. The news networks are banking on people’s fears by giving them more issues to think and worry about. In addition, there is misinformation, manipulation, and exaggeration that makes it difficult to discern between truth and partial truth.
In the midst of this global issue, we need to remind ourselves that the enemy intends to steal, kill, and destroy people’s peace, wellbeing, and lives. We can’t open ourselves up to all sorts of information out there and expect to keep our peace! The Lord tells us that those whose mind stays on Him, will enjoy perfect peace! According to the above definition, His peace gives us a sense of safety and contentment. It allows us to know that we are embraced by the Lord of the universe and that we are going to be ok.
A few days ago, I found myself anxious about the future of this country and where we are headed if this situation continues to go on. The more I listened to the news, the more anxious and frustrated I became. I realized that feeding on all this information was not producing any good fruit in my life. So I decided to stop watching the news for a while and not allow all the predictions, speculations, and opinions of people get to my heart. Praise the Lord that I am doing a lot better in the last couple of days!
According to the above scripture, when we remain focused on the Lord and lean into Him, we will get to enjoy His peace. This is a deliberate decision that we have to make. If we have a tendency to rely on our emotions, minds, or will power to control our circumstances, the stress level can even become intensified in these circumstances. This is far greater than any one person, nation, or the entire world to figure out. We need to humble ourselves before the Lord and let Him lead us. He has the solutions to the world’s problems, and He will give us wisdom and insight from heaven.
What is your mind focused on these days!?
I believe we all desire God’s perfect peace. In order to enjoy His peace, we have to do the work of keeping our focus on the Lord. When we show self-control and avoid listening to continual negative reports, we won’t allow our focus to be diverted. This action is a statement of trust that we don’t have to know everything to feel safe and secure; instead, we rely on the one who knows everything and has the power to change things. He is the rock eternal. He is unchanging and reliable. The more we remind ourselves of who God is for us, stress and anxiety will dissipate and will be replaced with the peace and the assurance of our heavenly Father!
Image by Daniel Reche from Pixabay