You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Isaiah 26:3
For several months, I coped with intense workplace politics and intrigues. Worrying is second nature to me, so I was surprised to find myself at peace. Instead of feeling anxious, I was able to respond with a calm mind and heart. I knew that this peace could come only from God.
In contrast, there was another period in my life when everything was going well—and yet I felt a deep unrest in my heart. I knew it was because I was trusting in my own abilities instead of trusting God and His leading. Looking back, I’ve realized that true peace—God’s peace—isn’t defined by our circumstances, but by our trust in Him.
God’s peace comes to us when our minds are steadfast (Isaiah 26:3). In Hebrew, the word for steadfast means “to lean upon.” As we lean on Him, we’ll experience His calming presence. We can trust in God, remembering that He’ll humble the proud and wicked and smooth the paths of those who love Him (vv. 5–7).
When I experienced peace in a season of difficulty rather than ease, I discovered that God’s peace isn’t an absence of conflict, but a profound sense of security even in distress. It’s a peace that surpasses human understanding and guards our hearts and minds in the midst of the most difficult of circumstances (Philippians 4:6−7).
What do you do to experience peace? In what areas of your life do you need to trust God and lean on Him?
Father, help me to trust You and have a steadfast mind. Thank You for the perfect peace that comes to me when I choose to trust You.
INSIGHT
In the chapters leading up to the hope-filled passage of Isaiah 26:3–7, we read the phrase “in that day” thirty-four times. The prophet Isaiah anticipates a day marked by swift divine judgment against those who ignore and defy God’s commands. A key target of God’s displeasure is the self-serving pride of human beings and their governments. The prophet writes, “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” (v. 5). This isn’t likely a reference to a particular city but rather a poetic declaration of God’s displeasure with the world systems that deny Him. Yet Isaiah also prophesies a time when justice, righteousness, and peace will be the order of the day. “In that day,” the victims of “the lofty” will tread in triumph over the ruins and rubble of their oppressors’ works (vv. 5–6).