“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”
(Isaiah 26:3, NLT)
(Isaiah 26:3, NLT)
Have you ever had one of those days in which you can’t concentrate, your mind wanders, and you find yourself daydreaming? After long winters, I looked forward to the springtime, to warming weather, and to beautiful sunshine. When those spring days came upon me, I could hardly contain myself. Sitting in the classrooms of my youth, I would look outside longingly. I couldn’t concentrate on what the teacher said, for in my mind I was already out playing in the sunshine.
You’ve probably felt the same way. Ever sat in a meeting and just couldn’t get interested in the topic of the day? Ever find yourself wishing you were somewhere else? Have you ever been so in love that you anxiously counted down the minutes until you saw your loved one again? This scripture for today is going to make you rethink those moments. If you can’t keep your thoughts “fixed” on God, you will miss out on something special. If you let your mind wander, you might miss something God is doing right in front of you!
During my seminary years, we worshiped in the chapel each day of the week. Classes would cease for part of an hour during which we would be welcome in the chapel for these services. Some of the services would be inspiring and keep you riveted. Others would seem to drag on, maybe because of a topic that just didn’t grab you or a preacher whose sermon was ill-prepared. Then, I found it hard to concentrate on the worship theme, hard even to keep myself focused on the prayers.
During my years in ministry, I’ve seen people whose minds had traveled far from the sanctuary. I’ve seen people who fell asleep in their pews, fingered their cell phones as they looked bored, and chatted up a friend while ignoring the looks of those interrupted from their spiritual endeavor. It’s hard to listen to God when your mind is in far away places. It’s difficult to pray when your thoughts are racing to a familial problem or an upcoming task. How can you receive any spiritual benefit from God when your mind and heart are wandering to and fro? Closeness with God won’t occur if your attitude in worship is filled with boredom, distraction, or daydreaming.
The prophet Isaiah is credited with the scripture for today shown above. These words came at a time when the people of God were spiritually distant from God. They weren’t very interested in worship. Their social world concerned itself more with political and military realities than spiritual insight. With the words for today, Isaiah made a connection between peace, trust in God, and “thoughts that are fixed on God”. For Isaiah, these three things were interwoven and entwined. You can’t have peace when you don’t trust God. You can’t trust God when your thoughts are racing with emotions and fears and social agendas. There is a connection between peace, trust in God, and thoughts that are fixed on God. If you fail in one area, you will often fail in another.
During the period in which Isaiah spoke, the people in Judah and Jerusalem were involved in many sinful actions and attitudes. Isaiah 10 lists a number of the sins of Judah including sinful decrees and laws (Isaiah 10:1), taking advantage of poor and needy people (Isaiah 10:2), and idol worship (Isaiah 10:11). Isaiah 9:1 described the people of God as “walking in darkness”. They chose evil instead of good, oppression instead of justice. In response, God sent invading armies from Assyria and Babylon to ravage the land. God was correcting the sin. All the while, Isaiah kept preaching for the people to live rightly before God and repent. Isaiah begged for the people to keep their “thoughts fixed on God (Isaiah 26:3). They had to trust God. There was no other way to find peace in the land.
If peace seems far from your life, remember the two other things in this verse that were required for peace to be found. First, the faithful needed to trust in God. Second, they had to keep their thoughts “fixed” upon God and God’s ways. If you let your trust turn to doubt or your mind wander from godly thoughts, you will find less and less peace in your world.
A long time ago, I met with a pastor who had doubts about God’s strength. Depression caused him to separate himself from God. He let worries and fears creep into his every waking hour. After speaking about his problems, I told him that I bet his congregation wasn’t getting much out of his sermons. “How did you know? Did one of my parishioners contact you?”
“Oh no, nothing like that!” I replied. “I just figured with all your doubts and emotions shaking you up, you wouldn’t be very passionate speaking of God!”
“Well, sadly, you are right,” he responded with eyes fixed on the floor.
When your thoughts are not fixed on God, the peace and power of God begins to fade. When trust in God is replaced with doubts of God’s strength, many things will fall apart in your life.
Remember: perfect peace, trust in God, and thoughts fixed on God all affect one another. Of the three, which is weakest in your heart this day?
You’ve probably felt the same way. Ever sat in a meeting and just couldn’t get interested in the topic of the day? Ever find yourself wishing you were somewhere else? Have you ever been so in love that you anxiously counted down the minutes until you saw your loved one again? This scripture for today is going to make you rethink those moments. If you can’t keep your thoughts “fixed” on God, you will miss out on something special. If you let your mind wander, you might miss something God is doing right in front of you!
During my seminary years, we worshiped in the chapel each day of the week. Classes would cease for part of an hour during which we would be welcome in the chapel for these services. Some of the services would be inspiring and keep you riveted. Others would seem to drag on, maybe because of a topic that just didn’t grab you or a preacher whose sermon was ill-prepared. Then, I found it hard to concentrate on the worship theme, hard even to keep myself focused on the prayers.
During my years in ministry, I’ve seen people whose minds had traveled far from the sanctuary. I’ve seen people who fell asleep in their pews, fingered their cell phones as they looked bored, and chatted up a friend while ignoring the looks of those interrupted from their spiritual endeavor. It’s hard to listen to God when your mind is in far away places. It’s difficult to pray when your thoughts are racing to a familial problem or an upcoming task. How can you receive any spiritual benefit from God when your mind and heart are wandering to and fro? Closeness with God won’t occur if your attitude in worship is filled with boredom, distraction, or daydreaming.
The prophet Isaiah is credited with the scripture for today shown above. These words came at a time when the people of God were spiritually distant from God. They weren’t very interested in worship. Their social world concerned itself more with political and military realities than spiritual insight. With the words for today, Isaiah made a connection between peace, trust in God, and “thoughts that are fixed on God”. For Isaiah, these three things were interwoven and entwined. You can’t have peace when you don’t trust God. You can’t trust God when your thoughts are racing with emotions and fears and social agendas. There is a connection between peace, trust in God, and thoughts that are fixed on God. If you fail in one area, you will often fail in another.
During the period in which Isaiah spoke, the people in Judah and Jerusalem were involved in many sinful actions and attitudes. Isaiah 10 lists a number of the sins of Judah including sinful decrees and laws (Isaiah 10:1), taking advantage of poor and needy people (Isaiah 10:2), and idol worship (Isaiah 10:11). Isaiah 9:1 described the people of God as “walking in darkness”. They chose evil instead of good, oppression instead of justice. In response, God sent invading armies from Assyria and Babylon to ravage the land. God was correcting the sin. All the while, Isaiah kept preaching for the people to live rightly before God and repent. Isaiah begged for the people to keep their “thoughts fixed on God (Isaiah 26:3). They had to trust God. There was no other way to find peace in the land.
If peace seems far from your life, remember the two other things in this verse that were required for peace to be found. First, the faithful needed to trust in God. Second, they had to keep their thoughts “fixed” upon God and God’s ways. If you let your trust turn to doubt or your mind wander from godly thoughts, you will find less and less peace in your world.
A long time ago, I met with a pastor who had doubts about God’s strength. Depression caused him to separate himself from God. He let worries and fears creep into his every waking hour. After speaking about his problems, I told him that I bet his congregation wasn’t getting much out of his sermons. “How did you know? Did one of my parishioners contact you?”
“Oh no, nothing like that!” I replied. “I just figured with all your doubts and emotions shaking you up, you wouldn’t be very passionate speaking of God!”
“Well, sadly, you are right,” he responded with eyes fixed on the floor.
When your thoughts are not fixed on God, the peace and power of God begins to fade. When trust in God is replaced with doubts of God’s strength, many things will fall apart in your life.
Remember: perfect peace, trust in God, and thoughts fixed on God all affect one another. Of the three, which is weakest in your heart this day?