“You will keep him (her) in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he (she) trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3

Perfect Peace

I woke up from a series of unpleasant dreams/thoughts this morning… dreams of work: reviewing work I’d already done and finding mistakes… looking at looming piles of it around me, thinking it’ll never all get done. Dreams of relationships: trying desperately to help someone see what is really going on in their life, and what might be a better path to take, and what the enemy is trying to do. Finally, thinking about a family’s seemingly unfair situation where the mom is miraculously showing very few signs of aggressive stage 4 cancer, but the same day she will be going down to San Francisco for a final surgery, her husband will be seen at the same hospital for recently diagnosed melanoma. I felt utterly overwhelmed.

Then today’s verse softly floated across my mind. I could feel my muscles relax and a smile come to my face. I immediately got out of bed and looked it up. Why will You keep those whose mind is stayed (propped, upheld, unmoved, firm) on You in perfect peace (completeness, soundness, contentment)? Because they trust in You. The word trust here is to set one’s hope and confidence upon, to be secure—to fear nothing for oneself.

When I purposefully choose to focus on, and trust in, the Lord, I am signifying (expressing, indicating) I believe He is capable of doing whatever needs to be done in any given situation. I am trusting that He knows best and will work all things together for good (Romans 8:28). The result is perfect peace that passes all understanding and guards our hearts and minds, and which only comes through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7). 

The work pressure fades away the easiest. It occupies mind space—the part of me who wants to do a good job, do my fair share, and succeed. It’s the relational things that fade more slowly—the heart issues. The pain of seeing people I care about being deceived (hurt, and hurting), and seeing what unforgiveness and the resulting bitterness can do to a family. The questions of why a family, going through such an ugly disease with one parent, and just when the sun appears to be shining through the rain, a hurricane is allowed to hit the other parent—I don’t understand these things. I probably will never understand, but I know deep in my “knower” that God does.

I’ve seen miraculous restoration in relationships and health. I’ve also seen both end in death. Again, God understands and He is in control. So, I will look to Him for insight, comfort, strength and peace. As for the people I am concerned about—I will pray they do the same.

“Lord, help us to keep our minds stayed on You. Help us to trust You. Thank you for Your promise of perfect peace when we do. Amen.”