Katelyn Gannon

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

Isaiah 26:3 ESV

I’ve been meditating on this verse for several weeks now. What led me to this verse was a situation that made me rather uncomfortable. It was a moment that revealed my great need for the Holy Spirit. 

I was making my way to the grocery story with my eight month old in the back seat when I came upon some traffic. No problem, I thought to myself. Zion is fed, happy, I’ll get to Aldi’s and be in and out in no time! As a new mom, it feels like time is either my friend or my worst enemy.

I was feeling good about this little outing until the traffic was more than just a little congestion, but a 45 minute slow creep. Why hadn’t my GPS alerted me?? Feeling annoyed, I decided to text my husband (wives, you understand right?) to vent.

This led to no help, of course. What could he do for me except say “hang in there.”

Hang in there wasn’t exactly what I wanted to hear. No, what I wanted him to do was magically appear in my car, turn it into a helicopter, and get me to Aldi’s. I wanted him to rescue us! This is what I thought. Of course I didn’t say these things aloud…

So 10 minutes turned into 15. 15 turned into 30. At one point I turned down a side street, only to get stuck again. Panic began to set in, a feeling that’s not usually the norm for me. Since birth, I will admit it has become a more familiar feeling. Anxiousness. I took some deep breaths and told myself “everything is fine”. Zion was babbling and enjoying his view out the window. And I realized that the only way out of this, is through it. I could give into my emotion of panic and let it over take me completely. Or I could choose to pause, breath, and speak the name of Jesus over my situation.

It’s in those moments where pulling scripture out of your back pocket is most helpful. It’s in those moments where a foundation in the Word is your greatest asset. We have an advocate, a helper, a truth teller as a best friend and guide. Isaiah 26:3 has been my go to verse lately, especially when I am in need of peace. 

How can we obtain this peace? We must know where our trust lies. Does it lie in our own control? Our agenda? Ourselves? 

What or whom are we putting our trust in? Do we truly know that God has our best interest at heart and won’t fail us?

We can first remain in peace by trusting Him with our lives, our days, our moments. Secondly, we can remain in peace with having a mind set on Him. Another translation says fixed on Him.

In the morning when you rise, go to Him and fix your gaze. Stay there. 

“Jesus, I set my eyes on You. I set my mind on You. Holy Spirit, help me to stay fixed on Jesus. Guard my thoughts, my words, and my actions. Jesus, be my Prince of Peace. I release control and surrender to You, today.”