‘You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.’
Isaiah 26:3-4
The Book of Isaiah is the first of the prophetic books in the Old Testament and written probably 700-681 BC. Isaiah was a man chosen by God to be His mouthpiece to the people in the kingdom of Judah. As you know, Jerusalem was the capital of Judah, and this is where the majority of Isaiah's speaking and writing occurred. He had the assignment to call the people to repent of their sin and turn back to God or else judgement would fall upon them. They had a form of godliness, but in their hearts, they were mixing with the world which led to deception and false idols. Isaiah also had the privilege of declaring the coming of the Messiah- the Christ. He describes Him as both a suffering servant and a mighty King.
This chapter in Isaiah stands out to me as a directive in times of the unknown. Regardless of what is happening around us, God is still God, and the Remnant are His. Things were getting very dark for the people of God in Isaiah's day due to unrepentant hearts and distracted minds. The enemy was lurking around the city, waiting for the right time to attack. But, in the midst of this, Isaiah the prophet is able to compose a song of praise. ‘In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:’ it begins. Isaiah has an amazing way of writing that not only contains predictions that tell of an event soon to happen, but also a far-off future event that will occur as well- God’s Kingdom established on earth.
For me, this verse stands out as another message of the power of the mind. Saints, we have the ability to choose our thoughts. We have the ability to choose what we meditate upon, or another way to say that, the ability to choose what we think about. When we keep our minds on Jesus, on the goodness of the Lord, when we spend time in His Holy Word, we are kept in perfect peace. When we reflect on the faithfulness of the Lord, we are able to put our trust in Him regardless of our circumstances.
It is so important that we understand we have control of our minds! One of the main ways the devil tries to distract the Body of Christ, we the Believers, is by filling our minds with thoughts that are not of God. Thoughts of anxiety, doubt, discouragement, condemnation, lust, envy, bitterness, death, and destruction. None of these attributes are from our God. Our God brings righteousness, peace, and joy. As the Apostle Paul tells the church in Philippi, there is a peace from God that transcends all understanding. This peace guards our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7) Glory to God! He knows, Saints! He knows what we need in order to run the race and finish well.
Let me say also, there is no shame in being ‘messy’ before God as we refocus our minds. Psalm 73:21-23 is a good example of this. ‘When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand.’ Don't fake it till you make it! He is with you in the mess. Be honest before God. Seek His face. Let Him love you and process the storm with you. But the key is to keep your mind steadfast on Him. Refocus your attention from the problem to His face. Trust in the Lord! He is the Rock eternal. He does not move or waiver. You can trust Him.
