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Perfect Peace

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

I woke up this morning thinking of this verse.  In these uncertain days, we can all use some peace.  According to this verse, God promises us total and complete peace.  But this promise is conditional:  we must fix our minds on Him.

This verse is part of a song of praise, so let’s take a look at the broader context from Isaiah 25:9-26:4 (KJV):

And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us:  this is the LORD [Yahweh]; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD [Yahweh] rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill.

And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim:  and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands.

And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground even to the dust.

In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.

Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee.

Trust ye in the LORD [Yahweh] for ever:  for in LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.

These words were written by the prophet Isaiah under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  It is a song of thanksgiving, trust, and praise for God’s faithfulness and mercy.  Isaiah’s name means, “the Lord is salvation,” and he was a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah from c. 739-686 B.C.  He prophesied during the reign of four different kings of Judah:  Uzziah Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.  He was a contemporary of the prophets Hosea and Micah.

Isaiah dealt with a great deal of spiritual and political corruption during his ministry.  It was a time when even the godly kings failed to fully confront evil and abolish the worship of the false gods. 

And he [Jotham] did what was right in the eyes of the LORD [Yahweh], according to all that his father Uzziah had done.  Nevertheless, the high places were not removed.  The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. . .” (2 Kings 15:34-35, ESV, emphasis added)

Note that although Jotham sough to do what we right, he still allowed the worship of false gods.  2 Chronicles 27:2 states that “the people still followed corrupt practices.” (ESV)

We should be able to identify with the culture in which Isaiah lived.  We live in a time when people are following false gods and failing to acknowledge the Most High God, Creator of all things and His only, begotten Son, Jesus. 

Yet in the midst of chaos, God’s Word tells us that if we fix our minds on Him, we can have “perfect peace.”  What a blessing! 

In his commentary, Matthew Henry defines this perfect peace as “. . .inward peace, outward peace, peace with God, peace of conscience, peace at all times, in all events.”

So fix your mind on the Father and know His perfect peace!