Today I want to look at another of my favorite passages of scripture. It is found in Isaiah 26.

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. (v3-4)

The newspapers and telecasts are telling a story that doesn’t reflect much in the way of peace. It seems that we are in a state of WAR EVERYWHERE. Sometimes I am wondering if we are living the fulfillment of Revelation 6:4.

And another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to remove peace from the earth. And there was WAR AND SLAUGHTER EVERYWHERE.

The suffering that we hear about and see in our world brings great anxiety to the hearts of caring people. If I am not careful I find myself looking despair in the eyes. Despair brings sadness and depression and ultimately feelings of HOPELESSNESS. That’s why I turn my thoughts to Isaiah 26. This is a passage expressing praise to the Lord in the form of a song. I find myself coming back to these verses almost daily. In almost every counseling session I do I cite these verses. This is the TRUE Positive Confession. The emphasis is on THE LORD. YOU (the Lord) will keep in perfect peace! At the end of the fourth verse we see the WHY OF IT. For the Lord God is the eternal ROCK. The longer I live the MORE I am convinced that I must sharpen and enlarge my concept of God. I need to see HIM as my ETERNAL ROCK. I must see HIM as my only hope in this life! The statement you will keep in PERFECT PEACE is not only comforting, but reassuring as well.

The one thing that remains is MY FOCUS. The passage is clear when it says that His peace comes to those who 1. TRUST IN HIM. 2. WHOSE THOUGHTS ARE FIXED ON HIM! The news reports on what is happening in Africa, the Middle East and all around me tend to blur my focus and trust. So every day, every morning I need to refocus on the Lord. I need to SEE Him for who He is and what He does. Then I need to thank Him that He is still right here with me giving me the assurance of HIS PEACE.

I pray that you will be able to identify with me today and FIX YOUR THOUGHTS on the Lord. Shalom – PEACE everyone!

-Mel