July 6
ISAIAH 26
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.4 Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.
5 For he has humbled the inhabitants of the height, the lofty city.
He lays it low, lays it low to the ground, casts it to the dust.
6 The foot tramples it, the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy.”
7 The path of the righteous is level; you make level the way of the righteous.
8 In the path of your judgments, O LORD, we wait for you;
your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul. – Isaiah 26:3-8
ISAIAH 26 TRUSTING GOD BRINGS PERFECT PEACE
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
As you stay faithful and continue to trust in the Lord
You will observe that your heart and mind turn calm
Since you no longer rely on yourself, anxiety leaves you
You begin to be humble and know that God is in control
Trusting God brings you perfect peace and endurance
It grows your faith and starves your bent on impatience.
Anxiety plagues our world today. There are many distractions and a lack of the knowledge of God in our world that leads to constant chaos and turmoil. In this information age, we begin to have an overload of things that are not truly important for us. We forget our purpose in life and it becomes meaningless. We pursue things that are all fleeting as the book of Ecclesiastes presents to us. Without the knowledge of God and the absence of purpose in our lives, we will always generate anxiety and worry. Where does all these unrest stem from? It usually comes from our sinful nature. By nature, we want to know things, understand it and have control over them. We rely on our own understanding which are so limited that we often fail to see many aspects of what is truly going on around us.
In these following verses in Isaiah, he emphasizes the benefit of trusting the Lord. Perfect peace is the aftermath of dependence on God. It is the opposite when we trust in ourselves or other humans. He shows us that God is an everlasting rock, a sure foundation. When we rely on the Lord, we begin to recognize his sovereignty which humbles us and keeps us focused on his majesty and greatness. Not only do we gain perfect peace, but we reap the knowledge that only comes from those who fear God. We get to deepen our faith and our hearts become softened and long for those that pleases God. It gives us a way of strengthening our weakness and discerning the evil plots that are constantly at work while we are in this world. If we don’t trust the Lord, we will have a hard time navigating this cruel and corrupt world. But if we come to God and trust our heavenly Father, he will provide for all that we need.
REFLECTION
- Why do you think we get more anxious and unstable when we rely on our own strength?
