One Verse: An Example of Meditating
Isaiah 26:3 is a verse we should meditate, drawing different meanings from different words as we do so.
How do we get perfect peace? Referring to God in this verse—who obviously is the only source of true peace—the prophet declared, “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon you ....”
Let’s consider first the first word in this verse, “You.” Where does peace come from? It comes only from God. “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed upon You ....”
This is why in I Thessalonians 5:23 and Romans 16:20 the Lord is called “the God of peace.” And similarly, Jesus is called “the Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6), because, like no other, “He Himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14).
Therefore, since the Lord is our source and supply, only he can bind troubled hearts fractured by worry and woe—which, by the way, etymologically, is what the Greek word for “peace” means: to bind, to hold together.
To find added meaning in this verse from Isaiah, we will stress the next word for purposes of meditation. “You will keep him in perfect peace ....”
In other words, this isn’t a hit-and-miss proposition for the believer, wherein peace becomes a fleeting commodity: Sometimes we have it, sometimes we don’t.
To the contrary, no matter how challenging the situation and how great the stress, we can take comfort in the absoluteness of this word—a word without caveats, contingencies, or escape clauses—God will!
The certainty of his faithfulness is further confirmed by the fact this is really a matter of his legal will.
Shortly before his death, Jesus left his last will and testament, in which he bequeathed his spirit to the Father, his mother to John, his clothes to the soldiers, his body to Joseph of Arimathea, and to his disciples, both then and now, he gave his strong and wonderful peace (John 14:27).
Notice next from this verse in Isaiah the word “keep.” The prophet declared, “You will keep him in perfect peace ....” This suggests permanence, steadfastness, and uninterrupted protection.
Reinforcing this image, Philippians 4:7 pictures God as a sentry, a soldier, standing outside the believer’s heart in order to keep the peace.
Can you imagine the Almighty decked out in military apparel, ever ready to deal with any intruder who surreptitiously comes on the scene? Better watch it! There aren’t any Barney Fife weaknesses in him!
Those who like watching TV westerns perhaps remember the old codger who guarded the bank. This guy would have his hat pulled down over his eyes and, with one leg stretched out on another chair, while he would doze away an entire afternoon. But God neither slumbers nor sleeps! Absolutely nothing will get by him!
Hudson Taylor once acknowledged:
I used to try to keep my own heart right, but it would keep going wrong. So at last I had to give up trying myself, and to accept the Lord’s offer to keep it for me. Don’t you think that is the best way?
Of course, it is! What a strong assurance can be ours by knowing that the Lord’s keeping watch—and more importantly still, he’s keeping us. This means that while the slightest change in barometric pressure can put a violin out of tune, the believer need not find himself out of tune so easily.
To contemplate further Isaiah’s message, we will read on, giving emphasis to yet another word. “You will keep him in perfect peace ....”
Isn’t that good? Not just close to it—having sufficient proximity for viewing although too far away to actually experience. No, God will put the believer right in the middle of this enviable environment that Philippians says “surpasses all understanding.”
Therefore, as the center and circumference of a believer’s life, this peace will both emanate calm and eliminate chaos, thereby helping the believer function with greater godliness.
As you think back on certain decisions you’ve made—decisions that you later regretted, decisions that didn’t exactly exhibit a whole lot of grace under pressure—can you imagine how much better those decisions would have been (and also how much more blessed others would have been) had you enjoyed the advantage of being “in” peace?
And not just a partial peace, mind you, because that will never get the job done; Isaiah says it will be a perfect peace—a peace that calms every raw nerve, sedates every destructive emotion, making clear the mind and steady the will so that life can now be faced with an unswerving confidence in God.
Notice next how Isaiah puts it: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You.” This is always God’s way. He appeals to the mind first, the will second, and the emotions last.
Satan, salesmen, and politicians prefer another order. They appeal first to the emotions, then to the will, and quite often bypass the mind altogether—unless they schmooze or scam with a lie.
Notice further how Isaiah pointed out that our minds should be stayed on God? This reflects an implied caution against doublemindedness, wherein there is a vacillation between a promise-consciousness and a problem-consciousness—between faith and feelings, between revelation and reason.
Too often, instead of aggressively applying the Word of God to our problems, we sometimes lack the stamina for this, preferring what Eric Berne calls, “Yes, but games.”
To those trying to help us we say, “I know you’re right, but ....” “I should take your advice, but ....”
Instead of rationalizing, thereby distancing ourselves from the truth, we should turn on whatever disturbs, destroys, and dislodges our peace by rearranging whatever mental furniture is out of place and refuse Satan’s devious strategies to pull us down.
Intellectual honesty isn’t the only issue, though, for Scripture also says of God, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You.”
Notice: The mind should be fixed not just on Bible verses, or on the encouragement of Christian friends, or on the resolve of our own will. All that is good, but when our gaze is fixed on the Lord, the happier result will be an infusion of God’s presence in us before we see him working for us.
This sequence makes a lot of sense, especially when recalling that it is none other than our dear, darling self which moves in constant opposition to the very peace we desire. Addressing this issue, G.D. Watson wrote:
If a mysterious yet mighty voice should piece the heart of every Christian on earth and propound the question, “Why are you not cheerful and peaceful and content in spirit?” … not one in ten thousand but what would begin instantly to lay the blame on somebody, or something, or some circumstance outside of their own hearts.
However, the more ominous obstacle to our peace exists within us, which is why F.J. Huegel declared:
… unless Christ works in you an inner crucifixion which will cut you off from self-infatuation and unite you to God in a deep union of love, a thousand heavens could not give you peace.
Say what we will about the waywardness of the world, the stealth of Satan, and those fierce factions that exist even among friends, our biggest enemy (the carnal) has established headquarters within our own soul. Hence, peace isn’t possible until this fortress is sealed off.
In his book, The Higher Christian Life, W.E. Boardman, writing at a time the Civil War was about to subject America to bloodbath anguish, made this observation:
Too many learn to live just when they come to die. The great principles that give men peace in the hour of death would have given them power, had they known them throughout their lives.
Whenever danger is near, or when death itself is immanent, it seems that a focus is finally achieved that casts aside worldly distractions. There is finally this ability to see beyond the familiar, the foreboding, or the fascinating, and allow a rest of soul—so coveted and so elusive for so long—become an abiding reality.
But all that produced these happy outcomes was actually available long before danger arose, and could have been used to live a more noble, godly life.
Peace, perfect peace, is available right now.
Do you see how just one verse of Scripture, meditated for a few moments, can stabilize your soul, enabling you to become composed, confident, settled and satisfied?
