Peace of Mind in Troubled Days

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you. –Is. 26:3

Isaiah had a unified view of the world as evil and of Israel as rebellious. That's why he prophecies, "The earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled, for the LORD has spoken this word...The earth is polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant. Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty..." (24:3-6). Wow, that's quite a disturbing message.

However, Isaiah doesn't leave us there. He also paints a picture of God changing the "city of chaos" (a.k.a. the earth) into a "strong city" (26:1)—one in which death is swallowed up forever (25:8), peace is eternally established (26:12), and everyone will take root and bear fruit (27:6). So, how does Isaiah find peace of mind in the meantime? By keeping his mind on God. By remembering how God is going to take everything that's wrong with this world and make it right "in that day."

We need the perspective of Isaiah to penetrate our minds. We must find peace in these troubled days by remembering God—keeping our minds stayed on Him. God will turn this city of chaos into a strong city, and we will dwell in a land of peace and fruitfulness forever.

The Accessibility of Wisdom

Wisdom shouts in the street,
She lifts her voice in the square;
At the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings.
–Prov 1:20-21

The first chapter of Proverbs is Solomon's attempt to motivate his readers. He wants them to want wisdom*. First, Solomon states his purpose for writing the book: that people would know wisdom (v. 2). Next, he states from whom wisdom comes: God (v. 7). Then, he explains in brief what happens to those without wisdom: "They ambush their own lives" (v. 18). Lastly, he personifies wisdom as a person screaming at the top of her lungs in public (v. 20).

From Solomon's perspective, wisdom is everywhere. It's accessible. That's why he depicts wisdom as shouting in the streets. Wisdom is so accessible, in fact, all we have to do is open our ears to receive it. But, therein lies the problem. Some people refuse to listen. So, Solomon warns, "The waywardness of the naive will kill them" (v. 32). Sadly, some people will go to their grave before they listen to wisdom.

Let that not be true of us! Let us seek wisdom, for it is accessible, and it comes from God. Let us open our ears and incline our hearts to its message.



*For an explanation of what wisdom is, see a previous post, "Two Ways."

Laying Down Our Lives

For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. -Jn. 10:17

Love is an important theme of John's gospel (and John's other writings, too, for that matter). For God so loved the world... The Father loves the Son... Love one another as I have loved you... Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

In the midst of developing the parable of the Good Shepherd, Jesus makes a statement about His relationship to the Father. He says the Father loves Him. Elsewhere, Jesus says that He loves the Father (14:31). Furthermore, Jesus gives his disciples a new commandment to love each other. So, what is love? Love is affectionate deeds for the benefit of others. It's both internal and external. It's both heartfelt and action-oriented. And, in the context of this parable, the quintessential example of love is Jesus laying down His life for the sheep. The beauty of laying down His life was that He didn't have to. He chose to. The Father loved that Jesus chose to lay down his life.

Likewise, the Father loves it when we choose to lay down our lives—when we love others more than we love ourselves—deliberately and perpetually. We need heartfelt, action-oriented love, for there is nothing greater.

The Shortness of Life

LORD, make me to know my end
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how transient I am.
-Ps. 39:4

David, the king of Israel, whose throne was promised to last forever, wrote this psalm. In it he considers how short life is.

Not one, not two, but three times David compares life to a breath in this psalm. Why? David is in tune with the shortness of life. He makes it personal. He says make me. Know my end…my days. Let me know how transient I am. Life’s brevity led him to “guard his ways” from sin (v.1). He switched his focus from pursuing riches to pursing God (v. 6). When he considered his future, he put his hope in God (v. 7). What a helpful view of life!

When you’re in tune with the shortness of life, you don't pursue riches. You pursue God. You guard your ways from sin. You consider your future and anchor your hope in God. We need an acute awareness of life's shortness. It will help us live rightly.

Making Decisions in Life

Delight yourself in the LORD;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him,
and He will do it.
-Ps. 37:4-5

The context of this psalm is unspecific. The only thing we know is that David, the youngest son of Jesse, who became king of Israel, wrote it. David’s path to the throne was eventful, to say the least. He slew Goliath and many other Philistines in an attempt to follow God’s command to root the Canaanites out of the land. He became so respected and renowned among the people of Israel that King Saul suspected David would try to seize the crown. So, Saul chased David all around the country trying to kill him. Eventually, Saul died, and David was enthroned king over Israel. Throughout his life David had to make many crucial decisions. What to do? Where to go? Who to trust? How to survive? How to rule? How to honor God?

The way David made decisions was simple. He kept a close relationship with God. Then, he did what he wanted. In other words, David's main priority in life was cultivating a quality relationship with God. Everything after that was a matter of trust. He trusted his desires came from God. He trusted God so much, in fact, that he would decide to act upon his desires, committing his way to the LORD. So, David let God shape his desires. Then, he stepped out on those desires without worry. In this way, his "steps were established by the LORD" (v.23).

But, how do you really know your desires are from God? Well, ultimately, you don't. That's why you have to trust God. You have to cultivate your relationship with Him because otherwise your desires will lead you astray (see David and Bathsheba). You have to let God shape the desires of your heart. You have to trust Him in your decisions, and in the end, you will look back and realize your steps were established by the LORD.