Like A Sunflower

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

Isaiah 26:3 (KJV)

I clung to this verse thirty-plus years ago when I was experiencing all-consuming fear and anxiety attacks. And yes, in the King James Version. I longed for “perfect peace” as I rarely enjoyed sixty seconds of not-even-close-to perfect peace. I believed God’s Word, that peace could be mine, but my life didn’t prove it.

I really liked the “perfect peace” portion of the verse, but I struggled with “whose mind is stayed on thee,” because I was unable to keep my mind under control. Thoughts of fear caught me off guard. The only time I controlled my mind was when I read Scriptures out loud. I wondered if I would have to read my Bible out loud 24/7 to live a peace-filled life. But as I continued in God’s Word, I noticed something began to happen; my mind returned to God’s promises more quickly.

The first time I planted sunflowers in my yard, I never got to see their pretty faces. They smiled at the neighbors and ignored me. I wanted to take it personally until I learned a sunflower’s natural inclination is to turn toward the sun. I had simply planted them in the wrong spot if I wanted to enjoy them.

Like a sunflower turns toward the sun, our mind will turn toward our most familiar thoughts. If we have focused on fear, that is where our mind will go. When we have given God’s Word our time and attention, our thoughts will be completely transformed and will naturally turn toward our Father and His peace.

Here’s Isaiah 26:3 in The Amplified version.

“You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.”

It didn’t take very long till I was free of the fear and anxiety attacks all those years ago. The opportunity to fear still comes to me at times, but now it comes from the outside, and I use God’s Word to stop it from entering my heart.

We really can live in constant peace when our mind is full of God’s Word. Our thoughts will turn to peace like a sunflower turns toward the sun.