A Steadfast Mind

/ Eva Burkholder

After a long, hard slog through chapters 13–24 of Isaiah—prophecy after prophecy of judgment on the nations—a familiar and dearly loved promise jumps from the text:

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

Isaiah 26:3 NIV

My regularly scheduled preparation is immediately highjacked because I must explore the definitions of these words.

Peace—šālôm in Hebrew—means completeness, soundness, welfare, safety.1 I’ve heard it described as the flourishing and well-being of humankind. I like that. Trust is bāṭaḥ which means to have confidence in and to be secure.2

But it is the word steadfast (sometimes translated as stayed) that sets me on the sleuthing trail. The Hebrew word is sāmak meaning to lean, lay, rest, or support. The primary idea of the root is “to lean upon.”3

So I do a word search for other verses using the word sāmak or its derivatives:

  • In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 10:20 NIV)
  • Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me. (Psalms 54:4 NIV)4
  • I have leaned on you from birth; you took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is always about you. (Psalms 71:6 CSB)
  • Their [the righteous] hearts are firm, secure in the LORD, their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid. (Psalms 112:8 NRSV)
  • Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5 NIV)
  • Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. (2 Corinthians 1:9 NIV)

Dr. Ralph F. Wilson sums it up like this: “Isaiah teaches us about the peace of the mind that is constantly leaning, letting someone else carry the weight. It is an attitude, a practice of trust. The result is perfect peace because ‘the Rock eternal’ anchors your life. He is solid. The weight of your burdens is light to him.”5

Hebrew scholar, Skip Moen, explains the role of our mind in this process: “The mind … leans upon God. That’s not quite the same as believing in God. In this verse, ‘steadfast of’ is a verb. The emphasis isn’t on ‘mind.’ It’s on the action of leaning. And in this verse, that action is a passive participle, that is, a continuous reflexive engaging with God. We would call this meditation. Bringing God to mind in every possible circumstance.”6 The following verses describe how to do this:

  • And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7 NIV)
  • In view of God’s mercy … offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:1 NIV)
  • 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. (Philippians 4:8 NIV)

I humbly offer my paraphrase of this precious promise based on my study: Those whose minds lean on God will keep flourishing because they are confident and secure in him.

How might you keep your mind steadfast on God? In what areas do you need to lean on or rely on him?

PRAYER

Lord God, we all need somebody to lean on (Bill Withers got it right when he wrote that song I love to sing) and I’m so grateful that somebody is you. Today I rely on you for my daily provision, my mental capacity, my emotional strength, and my life and joy. I train my mind to lean on you by choosing to think on things that are excellent. Keep me in that place of flourishing as I trust in you.

1 “H7965 – šālôm – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (kjv).” Blue Letter Bible. Accessed 14 Oct, 2023. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h7965/kjv/wlc/0-1/

2 “H982 – bāṭaḥ – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (kjv).” Blue Letter Bible. Accessed 14 Oct, 2023. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h982/kjv/wlc/0-1/

3 “H5564 – sāmaḵ – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (kjv).” Blue Letter Bible. Accessed 14 Oct, 2023. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h5564/kjv/wlc/0-1/

4 Skip Moen says “God alters our condition … by offering his shoulder to lean on.” https://skipmoen.com/2016/02/me-too/

5 https://www.jesuswalk.com/isaiah/04_apocalypse.htm

6 https://skipmoen.com/2023/04/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-babylon-8/

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