Perfect Peace

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you.”

Isaiah 26:3

Do you know what it is like to live without peace? Every now and then, I get a taste of life without peace, and it makes me cling closer to our God. The lack of peace is crushing and oppressive. I don’t want to live that way.

God’s Word tells us that there is a way to experience perfect peace. Actually the Hebrew says, “He will keep them in peace peace.” The Hebrew word for peace is shalom which means “completeness, safety, soundness, peace, health, prosperity.” Many times in the Hebrew a word is repeated twice for emphasis. In the English language, we may use the word “very.” In this case the word “perfect” is used to tell us that God keeps the one who trusts in Him in complete peace.

Even though we may walk through a valley, we can experience a peace that surpasses all human understanding. Even though tears may stream down our faces, we can know that God never asks us to experience a valley that will not bring a kingdom harvest one day.

Now who keeps us in perfect peace? God does. The Hebrew word for peace is nasar which means “to guard, protect, keep, to guard from dangers, to blockade, to guard with fidelity, watchman.” As intelligent and mature Christians that we think we are, we don’t have the ability to keep ourselves in perfect peace. We need someone stronger. God is our watchman who guards us with fidelity and blocks us from dangers. In heaven, I believe we will see how many dangers God blockaded from happening to us. Praise You, God, for Your protection.

Lastly, the Hebrew word for mind is yester which means “frame, pattern, imagination, purpose, device, intellectual framework.” This word is talking about how our minds put a picture frame around every incident, situation, temptation, trial, and crisis. We see every circumstance from our perspective. I can’t tell you how many times I have prayed for God to give me His throne room viewpoint in general and about specific situations. I don’t want to view things from my own limited context and wrap my own frame around it. I want to see it through His picture frame.

So God will guard the mind and the frame of the person whose mind is steadfast and trusts in Him. A steadfast mind is one that leans on God. It is someone who lays herself before God and lays her hands on His Word. To trust Him is to attach oneself to Him and not let Him go.

The key to this perfect peace is simply to trust God. Can you? Can you trust Him? You’ve trusted Him with your eternal destination. Now it’s time to take your trust of Him to a new level on planet earth. Trust your watchman! Carry this verse with you wherever you go this week – be it written on an index card, recorded on your smartphone, or imprinted in your heart. Study it, pulverize it, and memorize it!

Memorization Reminders:

Please join me in memorizing these verses and implanting God’s thoughts into our minds. I’m expecting for God to radically change our lives if we do this. Redeem your time to make room for memorizing God’s Word. Take this verse with you wherever you go. Meditate on it, and pulverize it.

We are blessed to live in a time where we can have the Bible at our fingertips even through the internet or an actual Bible in our hands. Yet, this blessing can become a curse if we do not treat the Bible with such honor to savor every word of it as those through the centuries who have longed to have His Word so much. They had to memorize every Scripture they had ever been given because their own copy of the Scripture was not possible.

Most of us probably don’t memorize Scripture because we think that we do not have the time. However, our minds have a lot of wasted space that can be given to God. We have to redeem the time. For women, we can use the time while putting on our make-up or blow drying our hair. For men, use the time while shaving. For both genders, we can use the time while we shower, stop at red lights, do the laundry, wash the dishes, and mow the lawn. Let’s face it: our minds are thinking about something during this time. Instead of being focused on our obsessions, worries, cares, to-do’s, and problems, give this time to God.

Take your verse(s) with you wherever you go. You can type your verse out and put it on beautiful sheets of your choice. You can write it out on index cards. Many people prefer index cards spiral bound to keep them together. For iphone users, I’m sure there is an app. You can write it on your iphone notepad or record your voice speaking it and replay it throughout the day.

Now that we have the verse and we have found the time, let’s focus on the method. We don’t just memorize it by saying it over and over; we meditate on it. We spend time thinking about what each word means and what it doesn’t mean.

Then one of my favorite techniques as taught by Waylon Moore is to pulverize the verse. Say the verse over and over each time focusing on a different word in the verse to emphasize. For example, say Isaiah 26:3 (today’s verse) aloud and say with more umph the underlined and bolded word:

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you.”

Isaiah 26:3

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you.”

Isaiah 26:3

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you.”

Isaiah 26:3

Repeat this process until each word in the verse has been emphasized.

After meditating and pulverizing the verse continuously for a week, the seed planted in our hearts will begin to germinate. You and I will no longer be merely short-term memorizing, but the Word will dwell within us. When God’s Word dwells within us, something miraculous happens. Our minds are renewed and transformed into the mind of Christ. We worry and fret less. We are armed for the attacks of the enemy. Our lips will be full of praise for our God. My friend, I’m ready for that kind of transformation!