God Offers Peace

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trustiest in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.” -Isaiah 26:3-4 (KJV)

Perhaps many readers of this devotional, as I, memorized Bible verses using the King James Version. I often use this version still when I want to call other’s attention to verses we should commit to memory. To my mind, that version is stately and majestic. But this is not to say that we should not also use the more modern versions to help us see more clearly in the language of today the depth of meaning of the scriptures. Here are the same two verses in more modern translations:

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” (ESV)

Eugene Peterson’s The Message Bible reads: “People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole, Steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don’t quit. Depend on God and keep at it because in the Lord God you have a sure thing.”

The verses fall into a memorable four-point outline:

1. God gives perfect peace. In the Hebrew language, the word for peace is repeated: “shalom, shalom.” The repetition indicates intensity of meaning: cessation of conflict, but also conveys the idea of safety, blessings, wholeness of mind and heart.

2. Minds are stayed on God. From New Testament scriptures, having our mind stayed on God is also emphasized strongly. Colossians 3:2 teaches us the importance of our minds being stayed, or fastened, constantly on God and His will for us: “Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on earth. And Romans 8:6 teaches us that to set the mind on the things of the Spirit is “life and peace.”

3. Trust in the Lord should be ongoing, forever. We are not to be wishy-washy about our trust in God. Our faith helps us to be dependent upon God and to know that “He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

4. God continually strengthens the believer. God’s strength is everlasting. I like the hymn, “Like a River Glorious” with words by Frances Ridley Havergal. Her lines express well how God strengthens the believer: “Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest / finding as He promised, perfect peace and rest.” Another line from her beautiful hymn describes God’s continuing, everlasting strength: “Perfect yet it floweth fuller every day / Perfect, yet it growth, deeper all the way.”

Prayer: Lord, with conditions in such turmoil in this age in which we live, help us to cling to the “shalom, shalom” (perfect peace) You give. May our minds be stayed on You so that we can receive Your peace. May our trust in you grow day by day as You give Your peace to us. Lord, we thank You for your peace that passes understanding and strengthens us day by day to face the challenges of life. In Jesus’ name. Amen. - Ethelene Dyer Jones 01.22.2017

Peace Is Possible

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.” –Isaiah 26:3-4 (KJV).

I use the King James Version for today’s focus scripture because that version is what I used years ago when I memorized these verses. They are from the “Song of Isaiah” to be sung to the nation of Judah. They refer to a future time of judgment and restoration. A hostile power (unnamed by Isaiah) will be overthrown and the people will have “perfect peace” because their minds are “stayed” (centered, focused, fastened, kept continually) on Jehovah and their strength is from Him alone.

Our entire world and individuals within it are in a state of discord, upheaval and unrest. We are as Jeremiah the prophet wrote, “For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace: when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 8:11). I hear friends say that they do not listen to the daily news anymore because there is so much crime, war, poverty, distrust and upheaval in our communities, nation and world today. The bad news depresses them. Yet we cannot turn deaf ears to conditions and hope they will go away just because we don’t like to hear about them. How can we be involved with needs and pray for ourselves and others unless we are aware? The Word gives us assurance that peace is possible even in times such as we live.

The person will be kept in “perfect peace” whose mind is stayed on God. This indicates that peace is not dependent upon outward circumstances but on a solid inner relationship. It begins first as a vertical connection—person to God. The original Hebrew renders “shalom, shalom” (the word peace written twice) for “perfect peace.” Shalom conveys much more than absence of conflict. It carries the idea of wholeness, quietness of spirit, blessings. This peace gives a sense of fulfillment that comes from God and is dependent upon His presence in the life. Shalom indicates a right relationship with Him. “Shalom, shalom” intensifies the meaning to make it, in English, come forth as perfect peace—that which we cannot generate ourselves but which is a gift from God. From Him we receive “every good and every perfect gift” (James 1:17).

To have a mind “stayed” on God is to “Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2, KJV) Someone has aptly observed that we stay our minds on heaven, but we have to live on earth. The equilibrium of mind and perfect peace that God gives the individual prepares the person to handle anxious thoughts and concerns. We focus on Christ and not on crisis; develop dependence on Him, our sure deliverer. And the wonderful reward of this peace-seeking is “everlasting strength.” I like the glorious hymn—both its words and music—entitled “Like a River Glorious.” Frances Havergal (1836-1879) wrote: “Like a river glorious Is God’s perfect peace,/Over all victorious In its bright increase;/Perfect, yet it floweth Fuller every day;/ Perfect, yet it groweth, Deeper all the way. Stayed upon Jehovah, Hearts are fully blessed; Finding as He promised, Perfect peace and rest.” Please reread Isaiah 26:3-4. Then, if you have a hymnal with this beautiful hymn in it, turn to it, read the words—or sing it, giving thanks to God for His “perfect peace.” How wonderful to know that amidst trials, conflicts and far-from-ideal conditions God can give us His peace in the storms of life! 

 

Prayer: “Lord, I desire, seek after, pray for Your peace. Amidst the challenging problems we face in today’s world and the sometimes hard road of making a life and earning a living, may I know Your peace that passes all understanding. In Jesus’ name. Amen. –Ethelene Dyer Jones 01.25.2015

Seeking God’s Peace

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.” –Isaiah 26:3-4 (KJV).

I use the King James Version for today’s focus scripture because that version is what I used years ago to memorize these verses. They are from the “Song of Isaiah” to be sung to the nation of Judah. They refer to a future time of judgment and restoration. A hostile power (unnamed by Isaiah) will be overthrown and the people will have “perfect peace” because their minds are “stayed” (centered, focused, fastened, kept continually) on Jehovah and their strength is from Him alone. These verses tell of the corporate peace of the nation, a peace that will be restored in the future. But the peace promised is also personal and individual to anyone whose “mind is stayed upon Jehovah.”

Our entire world and individuals within it are in a state of discord, upheaval and unrest. We are as Jeremiah the prophet wrote, “For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace: when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 8:11). I hear friends say that they do not listen to the daily news anymore because there is so much crime, war, poverty, distrust and upheaval in our communities, nation and world today they get too depressed just listening to the bad news. Yet we cannot turn deaf ears to conditions and hope they will go away just because we don’t like to hear about them. How can we be involved with needs and pray for ourselves and others unless we are aware? The Word gives us assurance that peace is possible even in times such as we live. In recent days we have heard of severe persecution of Christians in Iraq. Our hearts bleed for their troubles and displacement; I trust we pray for their safety and peace.

In the promise from the focal verses in Isaiah, the person will be kept in “perfect peace” whose mind is stayed on God. This indicates that peace is not dependent upon outward circumstances but on a solid inner relationship. It begins first as a vertical connection—person to God. The original Hebrew renders “shalom, shalom” (the word peace written twice) for “perfect peace.” Shalom conveys much more than absence of conflict. It carries the idea of wholeness, quietness of spirit, blessings. It is a sense of fulfillment that comes from God and is dependent upon His presence in the individual’s life. Shalom indicates a right relationship with God. “Shalom, shalom” intensifies the meaning to make it, in English, come forth as perfect peace—that which we cannot generate ourselves but which is a gift from God. From Him we receive “every good and every perfect gift” (James 1:17). His peace is one of those ‘perfect’ gifts.

To have a mind “stayed” on God is to “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth”(Colossians 3:2, NKJV). Someone has aptly observed that we stay our minds on heaven, but we have to live on earth. The equilibrium of mind and perfect peace God offers the individual prepare the person to handle anxious thoughts and concerns. We focus on Crist and not on crisis; develop dependence on Him, our sure deliverer. And the wonderful reward of this peace-seeking is “everlasting strength.” I like the glorious hymn—words and music—entitled “Like a River Glorious.” Frances Havergal (1836-1879) wrote: “Like a river glorious Is God’s perfect peace,/Over all victorious In its bright increase;/Perfect, yet it floweth Fuller every day;/ Perfect, yet it growth, Deeper all the way. Stayed upon Jehovah, Hearts are fully blessed; Finding as He promised, Perfect peace and rest.” Please reread Isaiah 26:3-4. Thank God that He, even amidst trials, conflicts and far-from-ideal conditions, can give us “perfect peace” in the storms of life! -  Ethelene Dyer Jones 08.17.2014