Through the twists and turns of life, one of my favorite truths is found in Isaiah 26.

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You. (v. 3)

The reason we like this verse is that it offers something that we are looking for. Peace. Perfect peace. Those words grab us and we long for the promise they offer. 

As you read this verse it is clear that peace doesn’t just happen. It is dependent on some other things taking place. Peace is the outcome of a steadfast mind. So, you may be wondering how do I get a steadfast mind in the midst of the circumstances of life? This verse tells us that a steadfast mind is the product of trust. But trust in what or trust who? Check out verse 4. 

Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD Himself, is the Rock eternal.

Isaiah 26:4 answers the questions of verse 3. Trust in the LORD. The one we are to trust is the LORD. 

You may be thinking, “Yeah, yeah, I know that. But how do I do that???” Great question. You see, we will never fully trust something or someone that we don’t know. Trust comes from knowledge and experience. As we begin to get to know someone, we go deeper in relationship and trust begins to build as the friendship grows. The same is true of God. The more you get to know Him the deeper the trust will be. What do you know about God? Looking back at verse 4 we are reminded about who God is: the LORD Himself is the Rock eternal. 

Think through these questions:

• What is a rock? (Not a stone that you can pick up, but a rock?)
  • Huge, heavy, immovable, can’t change it, hard, solid
• If the Lord is described as a rock, what does that say about His character?
  • He is huge in our present situation.  Psalm 46:1; 121; 145:7; Jer. 23:23-24
  • He is weighty, not fluffy, so that everything about Him has value and purpose. Isa. 46:9-11; Rom. 11:33
  • He is immovable and a solid foundation for us to build our lives on.  Isa. 28:16; 1 Cor. 3:11
  • He does not change. He is always who He is and that is a very comforting truth in a day where things change hourly. Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8
• What does eternal mean?
  • Never-ending, never stopping, always consistent, always the same.
• If the Lord is described as eternal, what does that mean?
  • He is fully today who He was at the beginning of time. Ps. 102:25-27
  • All His attributes are still the same and not one has diminished in any way. 
    • His love, grace, peace, strength, forgiveness, etc. still abound toward us.  Psalm 103; 145
    • His wisdom and power have not weakened no matter what is happening in the world. Isa. 40
    • Though kingdoms and circumstance change from day to day, God is still the same God and totally in control. Prov. 21:1

Now step back and let these truths about who God is sink in. Remember who He is and what He has done in the past. Trusting in the Lord in whatever circumstances is a choice that we need to make. We make it based on who He is and not on what is happening around us. Faith (trusting in Him) vs. sight (allowing emotions, circumstances or people drive our decisions).  When we trust Him and walk by faith, our mind becomes fixed on truth rather than on feelings. That is a steadfast mind. The circumstances haven’t changed but how we respond to them has. And the steadfast mind leads us to the path of perfect peace. Peace is based on who God is rather than what is happening in the world. Choose to put the full weight of your life on the Rock eternal. He is, and always will be, trustworthy. 

So if you find yourself with extra time on your hands, spend some of it getting to know (or remembering) who God is. In doing so, you will begin to make choices based on the solid foundation. Anyone else humming Jesus is the Rock of my salvation? ?