You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.
Yesterday I received a text alerting me that my oldest daughter was in a car accident which by no fault of hers completely totaled her car. An elderly man pulled out in front of her and though she immediately pressed on the brakes she crashed into his vehicle. The airbags exploded as she sat stunned while her dog jumped out of the window in terror and took off running.
Those first few minutes went by exceedingly fast and yet simultaneously in slow motion (a lot like many traumatic life experiences that hit us head without warning). Thankfully, my daughter was only bruised and the other driver sustained only minor injuries. Despite the immediate rush of adrenaline that hit my system when I heard the news, I gave thanks to the Lord that it hadn’t been much worse. Because in all truth, it was a close call for both my daughter and the other driver.
As the afternoon progressed, I had a difficult time concentrating on my work (on anything to be completely honest). My thoughts kept vacillating between what had happened and what might have happened. You know the mental battle I’m speaking of, right? One moment I’m giving my humblest thanks to the Lord for sparing my child. The next I’m allowing my imagination to take over and I’m creating catastrophic scenarios to play out in my mind.
Before the day ended, I started preaching to myself these verses. You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal. (Isaiah 26: 3, 4). I needed to reframe my errant thoughts and runaway emotions.
Instead of allowing myself to continue to spiral out circumstances that didn’t happen, I consciously made the effort to place my focus on God and his faithfulness. I recited this passage from Isaiah over and over until I felt the tension exit my body. Even then, I continued to pray and ask God to help me keep my eyes on Him because I needed his perfect peace to envelop me.
Believe me, it was a battle. But the more I talked to myself and repeated the truth found in God’s eternal promises, the calmer I became. By evening, I was resting in his perfect peace. Again, when troubles assault us, we have to do our part as God’s Word instructs and keep our minds on those precious biblical truths. As we learn to lean hard into the faithful arms of Christ in the midst of life’s storms, Jesus gives us that supernatural peace that the world cannot give. On what will you choose to focus on today?
Questions for Personal Reflection:
- What is your normal response when hit with troubling news? Be honest.
- How can learning to turning immediately to God in prayer help you handle the trial before you?
- List several bible verses that bring you comfort and help solidify God’s promises to care for your every need. (Philippians 4:19).
- Before arising in the morning, ask God to help you to reframe any difficulty situations you may face that day by reinforcing the truth that God will never leave or forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:8).
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