You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Isaiah 26:3 NIVUK
There are two words here that we need to properly understand in order to unlock this verse. The first is the word for 'mind'. In Hebrew this refers to our imagination, our creativity, something we form in our head before we form it with our hands. In other words, this is how we perceive, understand and picture our situation; this being the image which then shapes how we respond.
The second is the word 'steadfast'. It means to lean, to rest or support. It also means to lay, such as to lay hands on something or someone. It's used frequently in Leviticus to refer to Aaron and the priests laying their hands on the animal to be sacrificed. It was also used when Moses laid his hands on Joshua to commission him into service as the new leader of Israel. It speaks of delegation - of someone taking responsibility in place of someone else.
So what is a steadfast mind? It is a mind that is supported by God, depends on Him, believes in Him and this feeds the way we think, imagine and perceive our situation. A steadfast mind does not catastrophise. A steadfast mind is not panicked. A steadfast mind has worries, concerns, problems, but leaves them with God and allows Him to take responsibility for them. A steadfast mind is calm, reasoned, sober and clear-thinking. And let me tell you something: we cannot grasp the peace God has for us without it.
Let me illustrate this very simply. You can imagine the largest, heaviest ship possible, but every ship can be moved by the tide. So to stop even the largest tanker in the world from floating away, it needs to be tied onto something bigger than it. We consider this perfectly normal. In fact, if a ship was supposed to stay still and was not moored to the dock or anchored to the bottom of the sea, this would be a problem, right? I can tell you right now that it is. My wife is from the Philippines. There are so many islands that it's like the film 'Waterworld', but with better acting. I've been on so many ferries that I've lost count. I've been in situations where the ferry has docked, it's safely moored, I've headed to the exit ready to disembark and the whole ferry has suddenly moved downwards by three or four feet. It's quite... well, interesting.
There is no way I'd ever attempt to disembark from a ferry that wasn't moored to the dock. You'd have to be crazy. In the same way, it's absolutely normal for us to be anchored to God, particularly in the storms of life. It's not weakness. It's not us needing a crutch. We are not being pathetic. It's completely and utterly normal. In fact, for us to have a steadfast mind, we need to be anchored to God. There is no other solution.
But no-one would anchor a boat to a jellyfish, right? That would be absolutely stupid. It's soft. It's squishy. It moves around. It can't bear the weight. The very idea is absurd. Likewise, it is absolute folly to anchor your life to anything that is changeable. Fashion? Forget it. Fads and memes? No chance. Staying at the top of your career? No hope there. Your bank balance? No, sir. Technology? Give me break! Every one of these is a jellyfish!
If you want to see out this crisis with a steadfast mind, you need a Rock (Psalms 18:2; Psalms 62:5-8; Psalms 94:22).
Understand this: every other thing in life is like a jellyfish, and occasionally they will sting you. The only Rock on which you can rely on is God. If you build your life on any other foundation then it will fall. If you want a steadfast mind, then you need God. Now.
But we also need to understand our role. You see, we have a responsibility, both to ourselves and to others, to get to grips with our own thoughts. Paul states this:
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5 NIVUK
The catastrophising thought is the thought that says that the situation is bigger than God. The spiralling mind is a mind that has lost faith in God. It doubts God. It says that our situation is not good, that no good can possibly come of it, and that therefore God is not good.
To understand why catastrophising and spiralling are not legitimate reactions to anything, ever, we need to understand how they work. We start off with facts. These facts are not favourable: like a bad diagnosis or a poor test result or the loss of a job or a bereavement or whatever else we can think of. Our brain then imagines the situation is even worse and feeds this back into our thought processes as if was fact, which is then exaggerated again and then believed again as fact... until we are going absolutely crazy over something that is 99% not true. The truth might be 1%, but the rest is pure fiction.
There is only one word to describe this: panic. And panic has only one outcome: defeat (1 Samuel 7:10; 1 Samuel 14:15-16).
Panic is uncontrollable. Panic is therefore defeat. No-one has ever won anything at all after panicking. If you panic, you have already lost. It is not a reaction based on faith.
There is no peace in panic.
This exactly why there is so much teaching, particularly in the New Testament, about the mind (Colossians 3:1-3; Philippians 4:7; Ephesians 4:22-24; Romans 12:2).
Our minds must be steadfast. They cannot be panicked. And do you know how to break the spiral? Stop feeding your mind the unhealthy junk food from your imagination and start feeding it a healthy banquet of truth.
It really is that simple.
I'm speaking from experience. I've catastrophised in the past. Especially when I was in circumstances which were bad and appeared to be beyond my control. However, I came across someone who sat with me and helped me root out the things that came from my imagination and those that were really happening. What happened then? I stopped responding with catastrophisation and started responding creatively: looking for solutions rather than obsessing about problems.
So here's the secret. When you are tempted to imagine a catastrophic situation and convince yourself that it's true, take a deep breath, calm yourself down, and ask yourself this: "Is this real? Is it true? Is it actually happening?"
Our template for taking every thought captive comes from Paul, who wrote these words to the church in Philippi:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:6-9 NIVUK
Do you see this? Don't be anxious. Bring your problems to God. Get control of the thoughts racing through your head. Then you will experience the peace of God that passes understanding. Paul is echoing our verse in Isaiah! If you want to have a steadfast mind, this is what you have to do.
Our modern times demand a word here about so-called news we often receive online. Our world is full of commentaries and opinion pieces and unsubstantiated claims. But what does Paul say we should think about? "Whatever is true..." So we cannot be caught up in conspiracy theories and we certainly should not be sharing them.
Let me put it this way. In the 1991 a sports journalist from the BBC gave an interview in which he said that he believed that the world was being ran by shape-shifting reptiles and that the Royal family were lizards. His life was anchored to a big old jellyfish. No-one could take him seriously anymore. How could they believe news from their football club coming through his mouth when the same mouth talked about lizard men? His credibility was instantly ruined. So what happens if you share a theory, an idea, a speculation that doesn't turn out to be true? What if you share an accusation against a public body, a government, a nation or an organisation which proves to be untrue, and then you try and share the Good News of the Gospel? Who will listen to you?
We believe that the Gospel is objectively and provably true (1 John 1:1-3). We cannot hope to have a stable platform to share this Gospel if we also share so-called "facts" that are not also objectively and provably true. It's for this reason that I believe a Christian who hopes to have a credible witness cannot share rumour, speculation or theories unless they have firm evidence that they are true, and particularly during these dangerous times. Stick to the truth, Christian! We are what we chew on. If we chew on the Truth, then we will be true. If we chew on anything else then we will not have a steadfast mind and any chance of experiencing peace squared from God will be gone.
Mis-informed rumours, theories and conjectures spread like viruses. Prevent them from infecting others. If you hear them, catch them, bin them and kill them. So we see three aspects that flow from God's peace: safety, serenity and strength of mind. In my next post, we will meditate on the last aspect: SAFETY.
If you're viewing it in the app, click the icon on the top right that looks like a V on its side.
Great blog Paul. Can’t find how to share or forward it to anyone.
Thanks, Mum. I thought this one needed to be a little longer due to the subject matter. Hopefully it blesses and challenges those who read it.
I like the analogies you’ve used Paul. Very relatable for people to understand.