Lean on the Lord

This devotional considers Isaiah 26:3-4 and John 16:33.

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.

The mind that is steadfast is not so much the mind that makes its best effort to be faithful or loyal to God. Faithfulness is involved, and some kind of effort is involved, that is, a willingness. A steadfast mind leans on the Lord to be braced by him. It’s the weak leaning on the strong to gain the courage and confidence to keep moving.

We make our best efforts to put on strong faces and weather the storms that blow hard and hot against us. But, as people of faith, our posture of strength is heavy reliance, heavy reliance upon the Rock eternal. 

“When the storms come, and they will come, may they not tear them apart…” These were some of the words prayed over me and my late husband on our wedding day. We don’t know the troubles that will come our way in this life, but God says that he will keep in perfect peace those who, in essence, give up trying to withstand on their own. Instead, God’s peace comes with faithful, daily acceptance of our need of him. 

These days, we try to create our own zen in the midst of chaos, where we become fully responsible for generating a state of wellbeing and rest. The Lord, however, is calling us to receive him, the Lord himself…the Rock eternal as our means of peace, and our very Peace. Jesus said to his disciples before he was arrested, I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

Jesus says to take heart, take courage because we can trust in his power over the world, power over death, power over the worst—power that we do not have on our own. We are exhorted to trust in the Lord forever. How about trusting in the Lord, leaning on the Lord today.