Perfect Peace
Our world is restless and raging. The most casual glances at the headlines scream such. Thankfully, standing apart from the noise is a song worth singing.
A Lyric Worth Singing
The great prophet Isaiah tells the reader of his God-inspired tome that one day a particular song will be sung in the land of Judah. One line from that anticipated melody echoes a timeless principle—one worth singing, worth humming deep within your own soul. Here it is, recorded in Isaiah 26:3–4:
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.
As you read these words again and again, three chords ought to be struck deep within you.
All-Surpassing Peace
The first is clear: there is available for you a peace that passes all understanding. Isaiah is not speaking of just any peace. He speaks of perfect peace. Imagine that—perfect peace! Webster helps here, defining “perfect” as “lacking nothing essential to the whole…being in a state of undiminished or highest excellence.” Can you imagine carrying within you such an abiding sense of excellent rest? It can be yours—but something is required.
Fix Your Mind on Christ
That brings us to the second chord, which resonates with a call to trust the Lord. Keeping one’s mind on Him is the key to perfect peace. But what does that actually mean? What does it look like? For those who live on this side of the incarnation, the answer is wonderfully concrete. God has made Himself known—not merely in word or promise, but in a person. Jesus is the living expression of God, “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15), and the embodiment of divine trustworthiness. To fix your mind on the Lord is, therefore, to fix your mind on Christ—His life, His teaching, His cross, His resurrection, and His ongoing presence with us by the Spirit.
Which leads to the third chord and its steady tone.
The Trust We Offer
Trusting the Lord God is the chief expression of a mind fixed on Him. And the enduring quality of that peace is directly proportional to trust given “forever.” Pay close attention here: when this kind of rest is absent, it is never because God has moved away from you. It is always because you have chosen not to entrust yourself to Him.
The trust we offer must have as its object the Lord God Himself—now fully revealed in Jesus. He is the “everlasting rock.” He is immovable, tireless, and deeply involved. In Christ, we see that this Rock does not stand at a distance but steps into our frailty, bears our burdens, and invites the weary to come and rest. No one and nothing can compete with the Almighty. His peace and rest are yours if you trust in Him.
Do you trust Him for perfect peace? Is your mind stayed on the Lord God, revealed to us in Jesus Christ? Perhaps this prayer of commitment should be yours right now:
To you, O Lord, I turn
With faith fragile but true,
Believing your rest is waiting for me
As I keep my mind on You.
