Peace For Those Who Keep Their Minds Stayed on God

"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

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My social anxiety spanned from fear of what other people thought of me. It was at its worse when I was in classroom settings- specifically when it was silent. It seemed like it was the silence that provoked my thoughts to begin spiraling into self-focus and worry. What made my experience with anxiety troubling was that it directly affected my stomach. When I would get anxious, I could count on the fact that stomach discomfort would soon follow. This either looked like my stomach making weird noises that those around me could hear or it would lead to me accidentally passing gas. Both outcomes would leave me both embarrassed and ashamed among my peers. My stomach's reaction only made each day even more stressful as my anxiety led to symptoms that could be clearly noticed by others.

I had a hard time believing that God could help me with my fear of others' opinions and so I turned to other strategies for peace. When I was in class, I would tell myself that if I just sat in the back of the classroom, I would be okay. Or, if I heard the background noise of the air conditioner humming, then I would be okay. Or, if I didn't eat breakfast, I would be okay. I would try and set my mind on these things because I thought they would give me the peace that I so desperately wanted. However, they were like slippery ground to stand on when it came to trying to stop my mind from spinning. Sitting in the back of the class was made impossible when seating charts were put in place and even then, my location in the classroom didn't change the fact that I was still surrounded by people. The a/c would work for a time to calm me, but 15 minutes wouldn't even pass before it shut back off. And, even not eating breakfast wasn't enough to prevent my stomach from tossing and turning in response to the stress that anxiety put on my body. Nothing seemed to work when it came to solving my problem with anxiety. That was until God began helping me to set my mind on Him instead of on my surroundings.

Isaiah 26:3-4 presents a solution to the war waging on in our minds. It is written that God keeps those whose minds are stayed on Him in perfect peace. The peace I was so desperately looking for could be found by setting my mind on God and keeping my thoughts fixed on Him. It was only after I began setting my mind on God and not on the circumstances around me that I was able to see the fruit of this promise in my own life. My focus shifted from just looking at myself and my problems to acknowledging God's presence in my life in the midst of the struggle.

To have our minds set on God means to bring our attention to God and His truth. This doesn't mean that we have to be thinking about God 24/7, but it speaks of having our minds renewed in the truth of God's Word. When we constantly dwell on worry and fear about our life, future, or other people's views of us, we tend to forget that God's Word has the answers to give us the peace we need. Then, our thinking may become clouded as we neglect what God has to say about our situation.

Something that benefitted me when I struggled with anxiety was to write out some of the fears that fed into my anxious thoughts. What was I really afraid of and what was causing me to be anxious? After writing these things out, what is the next step in overcoming these fearful thoughts? It was to look at Scripture and see what God's Word said about my fears. Since I was afraid of people's negative opinions of me, I began meditating on God's love for me and on the fact that His opinion of me triumphs over all others.

There has never been a fear I've had that God didn't have a remedy for. It is by continually responding to fearful thoughts with God's truth that we will be able to experience God's peace. To have our minds stayed on God would also mean focusing on God's power rather than on our situations. When we began putting more attention on our problems rather than on God, we will likely begin thinking that our problem is beyond God's control. However, it's important to remember that nothing is too hard for Him (Matt. 19:26) and that He is capable of bringing you through your struggle as long you continue to trust and rely on Him. Although your struggle with anxiety may not go away overnight, you can rest in the promise that as you continually trust in God and keep your mind on Him, He will keep you in His peace. God will never let you go and He is the Only One who we are truly able to lean on, without fail, for victory over anxiety. Continue to trust Him for "the Lord God is an everlasting rock" (v.4).

Q: What do you tend to set your mind on in the midst of anxiety?

Q: How does Isaiah 26:3 encourage you in trusting God for freedom from anxiety?

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God, thank You for the perfect peace that You promise to those who keep their minds stayed on You. Please, help me to trust You and to take every one of my thoughts captive to Your truth. Replace my fear with the truth in Your Word and help me to remember Your power over this situation. Please, fill me with Your peace.

In Jesus' Name, I pray, amen.