Key Verse: Isaiah 26:3-4 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.
I was deflated when I read the words “whose minds are steadfast”. With mental illness, there is no steadfast in my head. Anxiety, depression, PTSD swirl around forever. Darkness, death, and what feels like pure evil are always a single breath away.
Then, I stopped and researched the word steadfast. In this verse, the original Greek word is samak. Its meaning was not what I thought.
Webster says steadfast is an adjective that means loyal, faithful, committed, devoted, dedicated, dependable, resolutely, or dutifully firm and unwavering.
Samak, on the other hand, is a verb that means to brace, to lean upon, rely upon, gain confidence, refresh, or strengthen.
The Greek word for mind in this passage is yeser which simply means an inclination, disposition, motivation, or desire.
With this little bit of knowledge, I now look at these verses an entirely different way. God is not telling me my mind has to be committed or dependable. No! He is telling me to take an action. I need to be trying to lean on him, rely on him. This reminds me of my favorite Casting Crowns song, Just Be Held.
We need to let go and just be held. Being held is the perfect peace God is giving to those, in this passage, who learn to lean on Him!
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