“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Trust in the Lord always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock.”(Isaiah 26:3-4)
Perfect peace sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? We can know that peace when we trust in God. Shalom, shalom is what they say on “The Chosen” television series as a greeting to each other. In one episode, they explained it to a non-Jew as signifying perfect peace. What a beautiful way to greet someone, don’t you think?
Context: The section of Isaiah 26 that sings praise to the LORD. “In that day” everyone will sing praise to the LORD. What a beautiful picture that is for us to imagine the whole world recognizing God for the Mighty One he is. These verses are plucked out of the magnificent imagery that Isaiah uses to paint the picture of when we who trust God will finally know perfect peace.
For the here and now, however, it does us good to do our best to keep our thoughts focused on God and his will. There is no denying that the world is full of messages that try and distract us and cause us to stumble. Those messages can also drag us down and cause us strife.
Things of this world will pass away, but God’s love and his peace will be with us forever. Doesn’t it make sense to focus on something that is everlasting rather than temporary, fleeting diversions? Any time we take our eyes of Jesus, we open ourselves up to the evil one who is just waiting to pounce and take advantage of us.
Isaiah describes God here as our “eternal Rock.” That’s a powerful image when you take a moment to let it sink in. What does that illustration do to your spirit? When I reflect on God’s character in that way, I sense a comforting peace. The perfect peace comes only from God. We can’t find it in any other source.
We do have our own action steps according to this prophetic word. We are to trust God always. We are bound to have times in our lives when we feel dry and weary. Those are likely the times we have ventured out on our own power or turned our backs on God completely. We can’t tap into God’s strength when we don’t trust Him.
Those people with trust issues have a hard time with this way of thinking and living. For those folks, I’d want to point them to other Bible passages that speak to the benefits of trusting in God, even if he is an invisible God. We may not see Him with our human eyes, but our spiritual eyes reveal God to us to the degree he allows.
One of my favorite verses reminding us to trust God comes from Solomon’s wisdom in Proverbs 3:5-6. It reads, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” No doubt this will eventually be another memory verse for us.
For now, take time to reflect on God as your eternal Rock, your salvation, your hope in every moment.
Let’s pray. Lord, thank you for your word today. Thank you that we can come before you just as we are and rely on you as our Rock. You love us no matter what. Help me to see clearly your plans for me. You are trustworthy, and it’s an honor to worship and adore you. My heart cries out for those people caught up in the lies and deceptions of this world. Innocent people are being corrupted and losing sight of your truth. May I be bold in proclaiming your love and forgiveness as I trust you with my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
