You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whosemindisstayedon You,
Because he trusts in You.
Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV)
Recently, I have been taking stock of the function of my mind. Having a brain processing deficiency because of brain tumors is a way of life that not many folks see from the outside, except for those closest to me. I take stock of how things are going occasionally; there are good and bad times in varying degrees. I am constantly frustrated by the deficiency of my memory; I have very little short/middle-term memory.
My recent thoughts returned to my longing to be able to remember scripture; every method of memorization has failed my many attempts at this. But a new thought challenged me yesterday; surrender your faulty mind to God in prayer. God can do all things, including healing every human ailment (big or small), so why doesn’t He heal my mind? As I pondered this, a still small voice replied in my mind, “Alan, you have never asked!”
This has begun a study of memory/mind in scripture … it is amazing how much God has to say on the subject in His Word! That brings us to our verse today. Let’s walk through it.
God will keep His children who love Him in “perfect peace” – peace (shâlôm) means to be happy, healthy, rested, and secure in God our Father. The Hebrew word for “mind” is yêtser, which speaks of a bodily form spurred on by the imagination/intellect. “Whose mind is stayed on You” speaks of the foundation of the mind; where or Whom it is anchored in – that being God our Creator and Father. The Hebrew word sâmak describes this state as leaning upon or taking hold of God as our anchor – to be rooted securely in Him. Such a state of security can only happen by a personal redeeming relationship with God through His beloved Son; Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, in Whom we trust completely.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose hope is the Lord. Jeremiah 17:7.
Dear Reader, the above verse could be further understood in a paraphrase as, “blessed is the person who trusts in the Lord, and whose MIND is in the Lord.” This is my commitment; that my faulty mind is in His hands – surrendered to His purposes each day. We need not be anxious for personal needs in our health but instead surrender them to God in prayer, safe in the knowledge that “He will guard our heart and mind through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Devotional Treasures
