You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD God is an everlasting rock. —Isaiah 26:3-4
You don’t have to look very far to see a world without peace. Earthquakes ravaging Nepal, racial tension in the United States, ISIS threatening terrorist action, and so many other examples testify that we live in a world desperately needing peace. The situation can seem hopeless. So much so that I recently heard the sentiment, “Why would you want to bring any more children into this terrible world?” If this world were our final hope, that question would be a fair one. We easily see the world lacks peace.
But in Isaiah 26:3-4 we read, “You keep him in prefect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD God is an everlasting rock.” This is part of a song that will be sung when “the Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory [is] before his elders” (Isaiah 24:23). We can find hope in the fact that a day is coming when God’s reign will bring perfect peace on the earth.
Verse 3 of Isaiah 26 says this will be a perfect peace for those trusting in the LORD. Our trust is in Jesus Christ who came and announced that the Kingdom of God has come (Matthew 4:17). The reign of God has broken into this world, a world needing peace, through Jesus Christ who is our peace (Ephesians 2:14). Jesus has inaugurated the Kingdom of God on earth, bringing peace for those who put their trust in him, but his kingdom is not fully realized. The devil is still on the prowl, looking to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
Verse 4 encourages us to “Trust the LORD forever, for the LORD God is an everlasting rock.” The kingdom that Jesus has inaugurated is not a temporary one, but an everlasting one. Isaiah 9:7 says, “Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.” The reign of Jesus will be forever, and because there will never be a time when he is not reigning, we can put our trust in Him both now and forever. Peace comes from trusting Him. If we trust in anything else—ourselves, money, political processes, military strength—we will never find the peace that we desire and need.
In the midst of a world without peace, we have a King who is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Even while we wait for His return and the establishment of His perfect peace on all the earth, we live under His reign with His peace guarding our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7). We know the world is not as it should be, but we know that one day it will be when Jesus returns. In that future hope, we can find peace today.
For Reflection
In what areas of your life do you lack peace?
In what areas of your life are you not fully trusting God?
Are you looking forward to Jesus’ return and eternal reign?