You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. (NKJ)
Perfect, absolute peace surrounds those whose imaginations are consumed with you; they confidently trust in you. (TPT)
— Isaiah 26:3
Jesus says to us many, many times in the NT, “Do not be afraid or Fear not”. We are also told that same thing in the OT. Why do you think we are told that over and over again? Probably because God knew we would face lots of situations that would cause us to fear. He wanted to reassure us that He is aware of what we face and it’s not too much for Him, no matter what it is.
When something pops up that strikes fear or worry in our hearts, lots of times we begin to see the worst in our imaginations. Then stress and anxiousness over take us because of the pictures we see in our mind. This does not help at all and steals our peace and joy.
The verse above gives us a key to staying in peace. When fear comes, it is necessary to change the channel in your mind. Say things to yourself like, “Jesus is my Shepherd. He is taking care of me. He is my wisdom and I receive His wisdom right now.” Picture Jesus coming to you as you take a deep breath and sit down. He says, “I am here to stay. Nothing is too hard for Me. I will lead you and direct you. Trust Me.” See His eyes filled with love for you.
Speak these words out loud, “I trust in you with all my heart and I will not lean on my own understanding. You are always faithful.” Use you imagination to see Jesus in the midst of the situation holding your hand.
Your imagination can work for you or against you because your imagination has much to do with what happens. What we focus on, talk about and play out in our mind affects what happens. That’s why it is very important to focus on God’s goodness, faithfulness and presence when we are afraid.
Making a habit of imagining God’s love and value surrounding us all the time and seeing ourselves as God sees us brings peace, just as the verse says. He tells us what to do. The choice of what we allow to consume us is ours. You must intentionally direct your thoughts. No one else can do it for you.
Do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
The Lord Is My Shepherd