Stayed on Thee

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” Isaiah 26:3

The word stayed means “remained in a particular state or position.” When we say that something is stayed, we mean that it is affixed, steady, or unmoving. Perhaps you have used tape to stick a poster on the wall and become frustrated because it didn’t stay. When this happens, we immediately go looking for a better kind of tape. However, our minds can hardly be typified by a poster board. The poster board has one message and needs to be put in a particular place, while our minds are constantly processing information and need to be properly focused. Your mind is capable of handling thousands of bits of information per second. This is all happening within a context of awareness. As I am writing this devotional, I am aware of my surroundings, the day, the time, and hundreds of other details; but my main focus is on the topic at hand. At the same time, there is a larger awareness of purpose in life. The reason I am writing is that I want to be a blessing to others and ultimately to please God. The promise in the verse above is that if we will keep our minds focused upon God at all times, we will be at peace. This includes the moment-by-moment focus as well as the big-picture focus. When we fear God and trust in Him, we will choose our occupation, our recreation, and our meditation based on what we believe will please Him. This level of trust is what brings peace because we know that God is pleased with our actions and will bless us because of them.