To be kept in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3)
Glory to God.
To be kept in perfect peace
"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." Isaiah 26:3
Our Christian life should not only be filled with peace, but we should also be able to live in perfect peace. Because God has called us to live in peace (1 Corinthians 7:15). Even though Jesus was with her, Martha was seen worried and troubled about many things (Luke 10:41). Similarly, even though Jesus was in our lives, when various problems and adversities arise in our lives, we unknowingly become burdened and troubled, disappointed and sad. Because of that, we become as those who have lost peace in our lives. This lack of peace arises in us because of two reasons. Firstly, we say that we trust in God, but often we trust in men and princes. That ends in failure for us. Because they are unable to help us (Psalm 146:3). Therefore, we must wake up that it is better to trust in God than to trust in men and princes (Psalm 118:8-9). Moreover, because we trust in man, we depart away from the Lord in our hearts and are cursed (Jeremiah 17:5). Because of this curse, we lose our peace and become troubled and wicked. It is because we do not know who will help us, we wander here and there and trust on everyone for help. Those who doubt like this become like waves of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. They cannot receive anything from God because they are double-minded (James 1:6-8). Because of this, they cannot rest, like the wicked who have no peace, but are troubled (Isaiah 57:20-21). Their wickedness is that they have an evil heart of unbelief that turns them away from the living God (Hebrews 3:12). Therefore, they cannot trust in God.
The second thing is that if we listen to those who say they trust in God, they are not able to trust in God with consistency. We should not only trust in Lord but also trust only in the Lord (Jeremiah 17:7). Only those whose mind is stayed on God can trust only in God (Isaiah 26:3). If our mind is not stayed, it will keep swinging back and forth like a monkey. Even when we sit down to pray, we lose concentration due to various thoughts and ideas and cannot pray properly. Only those who trust in God with a stayed mind can find perfect peace.
The truth is that it is not easy for us in men's manner. In the midst of the trials that came upon David’s life, he became double-minded and lost his focus on God and sinned (2 Samuel 11:2-5). Then he prayed to God to create in him a clean heart. At the same time, he prayed to renew a stayed (right) spirit in him. When God uphold him with free (willing) spirit, he can be found with stayed mind in the presence of God. He also prayed that God would not take His Holy Spirit from him (Psalm 51:10-12). Therefore, our free spirit and God’s Holy Spirit can be combined to enable us to pray with confidence in God Himself.
Since we do not know how to pray we are unable to rely on God consistently thereby we donot find peace. Therefore, the Holy Spirit within us helps us in our weakness and makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered (Romans 8:26). We also see in the scripture that we, or the willing (free) spirit within us, groan within ourselves (Romans 8:23). Thus, the Holy Spirit from God and our willing spirit, or our mind, come together and pray in one accord, trusting on God. God answers us in matters where two people agree together and pray (Matthew 18:19).
We groan when we are sad. We should be able to be brokenhearted, sighing and groaning in the midst of our needs, problems and difficulties, with concentration of mind. Jesus also looks up to heaven and sighs and prays (Mark 7:34). If so, God, who does not reject the brokenhearted but comes close and saves them, will help us too (Psalm 34:18, 51:17). Hannah, who was in the state of sorrow, out of the abundance of complaint and grief pours out her heart before God and prays (1 Samuel 1:15-18). Because God heard her prayer and answered thereby her sorrow (Nehemiah 2:2) is changed and God helped her so that her countenance was no more sad.
When we come to the presence of God by trusting Him in prayer with a stayed mind and perfect heart, God will shew Himself strong for us (2 Chronicles 16:9). Therefore, we can do two things. Firstly when we pray to God, the peace of God that passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7). He will give us perfect peace. Secondly the God who hears our prayers will hear our prayers and work for us on the matters of prayer so that our joy and peace may be full (John 16:24). Our God is an Almighty God (Genesis 17:1). That Almighty God works for us and enables us to receive great things from God (Luke 1:49). Jesus says that which is impossible with men is possible with God (Mark 10:27). Therefore, God, who is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than all that we ask or think, works for us according to our needs (Ephesians 3:20). God hears our prayers and helps us so that our joy may be full, therefore accordingly we find perfect peace. May the Lord God help us all to find peace in this way.
