Author: S. Jeffery
Many times we may find ourselves staring out a window or pausing at intervals while we carry out our daily tasks.
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Our minds wander off, thinking about the various activities we have to do for the day, but sometimes we are lost in thought because we worry and are worried about things that steal our peace.
Hello all! I thought I would share with you (in this new blog) posts that will help us all to keep our minds focused on "the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14, KJV).
Here is our key verse for today:
Isaiah 26: 3 NIV:
"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in thee"
The more popular King James Version (KJV) says:
"Thou will keep in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee."
Let's look at some key words/phrases in the scripture.
- keep
- perfect peace
- mind
- steadfast (or stayed)
- trust
Keep
We think of the word 'keep' as in to hold onto something or to be in possession of something. Right? Correct. Look at these definitions also.
Merriam-Webster dictionary: "...to continue having or holding (something)..." [1]
Cambridge dictionary: "...to continue doing something without stopping, or to do it repeatedly..." [2]
Perfect
While doing some research I discovered that in the Hebrew version of the scripture (remember that the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic and the New Testament was in Greek) the word 'perfect' was not in the text. What they used was the doubling of the word 'peace'. [3] So it would be 'peace peace' to emphasize the certainty and solidity, the surety of God's peace in the lives of His servants. His peace can be depended on!
And what is Peace?
Cambridge dictionary (online) defines it as "...calm and quiet; freedom from worry and annoyance..." [4]
Mind
According to Got Questions (gotquestions.org), the Bible sees the mind as the ' “inner being” or the sum total of all our mental, emotional, and spiritual faculties, without drawing fine distinctions between them.' [5] That encompasses your intellect (brain power), your thoughts, emotions, imagination, memory and own self will and awareness.
Now, we know that scientists believe that all the things that have to do with thinking, reasoning and feeling come from a bunch of neurons firing in our brains but the Bible has a different view.
Here is an interesting scripture to chew on:
1 Corinthians 2:11 NIV
"For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God."
Clearly, from this verse we see that the mind is much more than the brain and its functioning.
Steadfast
According to Merriam-Webster.com (online dictionary) the word steadfast means "faithful, loyal, constant, resolute ... firm in adherence to whatever one owes allegiance..." [6] We can replace the word allegiance with loyalty. Let's hone in on the word 'resolute'. To be resolute is to be "determined... unwavering" [7], to be fixed and committed to a task. To be steadfast then is to be completely focused and committed on the object of your attention.
The word 'steadfast' in the scriptures goes much deeper! In Hebrew, the word for steadfast is hesed. [8] Interestingly, it's also the word that describes a love that is long lasting and not based on any strings attached. Hesed has also been translated as 'mercy', 'loving-kindness' and 'goodness'. Which have been used as attributes to describe the character of God! In fact, let us look at scriptures that hit home at that directly. Do you remember the time God revealed himself to Moses? No, not the burning bush scene. When Moses asked God to show him His glory, that's what I am referring to.
Exodus 33:18 KJV
"And he said, I beseech thee shew me thy glory." (Moses speaking)
What did the LORD say to him?
Exodus 33:19-23 KJV
19. "And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
20. "...Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
21. "And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shall stand upon a rock:
22. "And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:
23. "And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts; but my face shall not be seen."
The next day... (see reference Exodus 34:1-2)
Exodus 34:5-7 KJV
5. "And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.
6. "And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD GOD, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness (hesed) and truth,
7. "Keeping mercy (hesed) for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin..."
Other Bible translations such as the English Standard Version (ESV), replace 'goodness' and 'mercy' with the term 'steadfast love'. Indeed, God's goodness and mercy are wrapped up in His steadfast love!
But hesed not only speaks of God's pure and loving character but is also used to describe the relational love God shares with us, humans. It aptly describes the everlasting, gracious, steadfast love He extends to us, and the reverent, devoted love we show to him in return. Interestingly, Bible Study Tools (biblestudytools.com) reveals that hesed comes from a root word which "...signifies a covenant relationship..." [9]
As in a steadfast and binding relationship between two parties involved, such as the covenant God made with Abraham (see Genesis 12:1-3).
We as Christians also have a covenantal relationship with our heavenly father through Christ Jesus. Here is a promise that is made to us because of Jesus:
St. John 1:12 NIV
"But as many as received him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name."
Here is another and very popular verse:
St. John 3:16 NIV
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him, shall not perish but have eternal life."
Because of the Lord Jesus we have access to the presence of God and His many blessings, including eternal life!
Pretty cool, uh?
I'm going somewhere with this, just bear with me!
Trust
What does trust really mean? For some, it's to say we believe in someone or something, but we usually refer to a person when we say we trust. Let's still define this one.
Trust - "[A] firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something." [10]
When we trust someone, we believe that person will come through for us in the way we hope or expect them to. We can rely on them; they are dependable.
Who is more reliable or dependable than our heavenly father? No one. I ask, but truly this is a rhethorical question, because we know and have experienced at one time or another the pain of broken promises made by our loved ones.
We know they love us.
Yes.
And we know they care and try to do the best they can for us?
Yes!
But we also know that they are flawed, as are we (if we'll admit it) and are prone to making mistakes and disappointing us, as we also do to others at times.
Here are some scriptures that encourage us to trust in God:
Psalm 13:5
NIV
"But I trust in your steadfast love, my heart shall rejoice in your salvation."
KJV
"But I have trusted in thy mercy, my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation."
Psalm 56:3-4
NIV
3. "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 4. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?"
KJV
3. "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. 4. "In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me."
What shall we say about these things?
Let's break the key verse down using all we've learned.
Key verse:
"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in thee"
Look at my amplified version now:
You (God) will keep (continue and will not stop holding) in perfect (certain and sure) peace (calm and freedom from worry) those whose minds (thoughts, feelings and emotions) are steadfast (faithfully focused and committed) [on him], because they trust (believe they can depend, rely) on Him.
Let's fix it up.
God will continuously hold in certain and sure freedom from worry, those whose thoughts, feelings and emotions are focused and committed on him, because they depend on him.
If we believe in God and trust that His will for us is perfect (sure) and we rely on him, then we have nothing to worry about because we know that his steadfast love will keep us. Let's not forget that Jesus Christ provides this peace we are talking about.
Philippians 4:6-7 NIV says:
"6. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7. And the peace (freedom from worry) of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds (thoughts, feelings and emotions) in Christ Jesus."
Thanks so much for taking this journey with me. If you would like to talk further, please leave a comment below. I want to hear your thoughts. God bless!
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References
1. Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Definition for Keep. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/keep
2. Cambridge Dictionary. Definition for Keep. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/keep
3. Hopler, Whitney. "How can we know God will keep us in perfect peace?" Published 27 April 2021. Crosswalk.com. https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/how-can-we-know-god-will-keep- us-in-perfect-peace.html
4. Cambridge Dictionary. Definition for Peace. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/peace
5. Got Question. "What is the mind, biblically speaking?" Updated January
4, 2022. https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-the-mind.html
6. Merriam-Webster. Definition for Steadfast. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steadfast
7. Online Dictionary. Definition for Resolute. Google search.
8 & 9. Carlson, Jenna B. "What is the meaning of Hesed, God's Unconditional Love for Us?"
Published 22 June 2021. Bible Study Tools. https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-
studies/what-is-the-meaning-of-hesed-gods-unconditional-love-for-us.html
10. Lexico. Definition of Trust. Lexico powered by Oxford. https://www.lexico.com/definition/trust
Updated November 23, 2022.
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