Monday Reflection- July 22, 2019- Perfect, Permanent Peace

by Linae Hendricks

 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
Isaiah 26:3

 

Perfect, permanent peace! What a promise in today’s Watchword! God promises that we can have perfect peace, and even be kept in a place of perfect peace. In Hebrew, the term perfect peace is actually ‘shalom shalom’. Such repetition communicates intensity. It isn’t just shalom; it is shalom shalom, perfect peace. I agree with Meyer who says that it is our privilege to live inside the double doors of God’s loving care. God says to us, ‘Peace, peace.’ If one assurance is not enough, he will follow it with a second and a third.

Such perfect and permanent peace is offered to all God’s children. Yet, for some of us, we have peace, but it is fleeting; it is not permanent. Still for some, they have a false permanent peace. Such peace is not perfect; it is the peace of the wicked, the peace of spiritual sleep and ultimate destruction. But, there is a perfect peace that comes from the Lord, who alone can keep us in it.

The text is clear in declaring that this perfect, permanent peace is for those whose minds are stayed on God. This is the place of perfect peace, and the source of it. When we keep our minds settled upon, established upon, the Lord, then we can be kept in this perfect peace. This is a matter of the mind. Scripture is replete with references to the importance of our minds. Indeed, we are to love the Lord our God with all of our mind (Matthew 22:37). We are transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2). We can have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). We are not to set our mind on earthly things (Philippians 3:19), but to set our mind on things above (Colossians 3:2). The Christian life is not an unthinking life. Where we set our mind is essential to our walk with the Lord. Many persons desire to worship God only with their emotions and so they want a worship service that appeals only to their emotions. Their minds are on vacations at church. Yet, all throughout God’s word, we are required to think and reason so as to make godly decisions.

To be kept in God’s perfect peace, our mind must be stayed. The Hebrew word ‘sawmak’ comes from the root “to prop,” and has the idea of to lean upon or take hold of, to bear up, establish, uphold, stand fast, and sustain. Therefore, we must ask, what sustains our minds? What occupies our minds? To have this perfect permanent peace, our minds cannot occasionally be on the Lord, it has to be stayed on him. If our minds are stayed on ourselves, or our problems, or the problem people in our lives, or on anything else, we cannot have this perfect peace. Remember that Satan strives to dominate our minds and get our minds on anything except the Lord. We must take control of our minds and allow God to occupy permanent place.

The text also speaks to trust. Almost always, we keep our minds stayed on whatever or whoever we trust. When we trust the Lord, we keep our mind stayed on Him. The battle for trust in our lives begins in our minds. If we trust the Lord, it will show in our actions. Perfect permanent peace is possible, but only when our minds are stayed on God and our complete trust is in him.

 

Jermaine Gibson