December 19th, 2020
Text: Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! (NLT)
Have you ever noticed that when you experience times of unrest such as times of worry, anxiety, fear, and melancholy, that you have not been focused on God? When our minds wander away from God and instead focus on the noise of the world around us, the opposite of what Isaiah promises happens; we cannot find peace at all.
I find it interesting that when Peter recognized Jesus walking out on the stormy sea, he had enough peace and trust to step out of the boat and walk toward Jesus but, when the wind and waves caught Peter’s attention—when he stopped focusing on Jesus and began to focus on the noise of the world around him—fear filled his heat and he quickly began to sink (Matthew 14:22-33)
When the noise of this world starts to occupy your thoughts and you find you are no longer focused on God, it is time to be intentional about placing yourself in front of God. That is the time to start reading scripture, that is the time to start praying, that is the time to call a Christian friend and ask for prayer.
Of course, if you make it a practice of daily focused time with God, it is unlikely that noise of the world will be strong enough to pull your mind away from God, and the “perfect peace” that Isaiah talks about will be yours in all circumstances. There is advice that I often give to those who tell me that they struggle with keeping their thoughts focused on God in the midst of the storms of life. That advice is that “you cannot set your anchor in the middle of a storm.” What I mean by that, is the wise mariner will know that storms are coming and will set their anchor securely well before the storm arrives.
Intentionally spending quality time with God is like setting your anchor before the storms of life arrive. When you have a habit of staying focused on God, the peace you have will stay with you throughout the storms of life. You will have perfect peace because you will have developed a deep trust in God that the noise of this world will never be able to shake.
Pray with me:
Lord, I thank you that you are always present, even in the storms of life. I will keep my mind stayed on you in the times of calm so that you will be my first thought in the midst of the storm. AMEN.
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! (NLT)
Have you ever noticed that when you experience times of unrest such as times of worry, anxiety, fear, and melancholy, that you have not been focused on God? When our minds wander away from God and instead focus on the noise of the world around us, the opposite of what Isaiah promises happens; we cannot find peace at all.
I find it interesting that when Peter recognized Jesus walking out on the stormy sea, he had enough peace and trust to step out of the boat and walk toward Jesus but, when the wind and waves caught Peter’s attention—when he stopped focusing on Jesus and began to focus on the noise of the world around him—fear filled his heat and he quickly began to sink (Matthew 14:22-33)
When the noise of this world starts to occupy your thoughts and you find you are no longer focused on God, it is time to be intentional about placing yourself in front of God. That is the time to start reading scripture, that is the time to start praying, that is the time to call a Christian friend and ask for prayer.
Of course, if you make it a practice of daily focused time with God, it is unlikely that noise of the world will be strong enough to pull your mind away from God, and the “perfect peace” that Isaiah talks about will be yours in all circumstances. There is advice that I often give to those who tell me that they struggle with keeping their thoughts focused on God in the midst of the storms of life. That advice is that “you cannot set your anchor in the middle of a storm.” What I mean by that, is the wise mariner will know that storms are coming and will set their anchor securely well before the storm arrives.
Intentionally spending quality time with God is like setting your anchor before the storms of life arrive. When you have a habit of staying focused on God, the peace you have will stay with you throughout the storms of life. You will have perfect peace because you will have developed a deep trust in God that the noise of this world will never be able to shake.
Pray with me:
Lord, I thank you that you are always present, even in the storms of life. I will keep my mind stayed on you in the times of calm so that you will be my first thought in the midst of the storm. AMEN.
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