"The steadfast of mind Thou wilt keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in Thee. Isaiah 26:3 NAS

In the last devotional we focused on "the steadfast of mind." By this we are talking about our present state of mind. It also has to do with our standing before God. If we are standing before God on our own accord then we will not be steadfast in mind rather we will be standing on fear and failure. Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament says, “The state of mind is mentioned here as designating the person possessing it, according to his inmost nature. Yeetser (the word ‘mind’ in Hebrew) is the whole attitude and habit of a man as inwardly constituted, i.e., as a being capable of thought and will (1).”

Our entire being -our hearts, thoughts, soul and spirit are entirely changed when we accept Christ as our Savior. Our very nature changes (2 Cor 5:17). Our inmost nature changes in that our desire to please ourselves changes into a desire to please Jesus Christ our Lord. Also in the previous devotional we talked about how we become steadfast in mind when we accepted Christ. That is we believe in Him and trust in Him. Then we maintain daily by staying in His word that sustains and establishes us on the rock of our salvation. By maintain I do not mean salvation, rather our daily lives in Christ in a world with no absolutes.

When we stand fast in His word and are steadfast in mind, having the mind of Christ then we know the true source of our peace. Being steadfast of mind by Christ’s indwelling Spirit in us will have some pretty powerful results. What are a couple of results of being steadfast of mind? Psalms 57:7 gives us one example. It says, "My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!" When we are steadfast of mind, that is with the mind of Christ we will worship Him with all our hearts. We will want to praise Him whatever the circumstance.

He sustains us so that in the tough times and rough storms we stand fast and strong in Him and Him alone. In this verse here in Isaiah we see the most important result we have in trusting the creator of all things. When we allow Him to be our sustainer and the one who establishes us in Him for Himself, the result is perfect peace. “The steadfast of mind Thou wilt keep in perfect peace…” The emphasis of “perfect peace” in the Hebrew here could actually be said, “peace, peace.” Imagine your life without the peace, peace you have right now in this moment?

It sounds scary doesn’t it? That is because it is scary. Without the peace, peace, His perfect peace all that is left is fear. In Psalm 112:7 it says, "He will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.” We see here that a steadfast heart trusting in the Lord does not fear evil. Let’s do some math here: His grace + His peace - self + our surrendered heart = steadfast of mind. How awesome it is that we can have complete peace in full. Remember He promised us His peace. John 14:27 says, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives…”

The steadfast of mind will see another promise and result of total peace in Philippians 4:7. It says, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” The word peace in Hebrew is shalowm (shaw-lome'); or shalom (shaw-lome') and has the meaning safe, i.e. (figuratively) well, happy, friendly; also (abstractly) welfare, i.e. health, prosperity, peace (2). This peace no man knows until he trusts in the Lord Jesus. Even then, he can not even really express this peace to people outside the faith, to those who do not believe in the Son of God.

In speaking about this peace Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible says, “Thou wilt keep him in peace, peace, in perfect peace, inward peace, outward peace, peace with God, peace of conscience, peace at all times, under all events; this peace shall he be put into, and kept in the possession of, whose mind is stayed upon God, because it trusts in him (3).”

Today remember that you beloved child of God are sustained and established by the one who is perfect peace. You can have the peace that surpasses understanding and yet understand that He is with you in all that you go through. Remember that 1 Corinthians 15:58 says, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord."

We have become like an immovable lighthouse with crashing waves all around us. Some days we may feel as alone as that lonely old lighthouse out on the edge of the cliff. It is then that we are reminded that we are immovable in Christ. Walk in the newness of His peace for each new day.

Peace in Christ,
Adam

Notes:
[1] Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.
[2] Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.
[3] Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.