You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
Isaiah 26:3
The conscience finds rest not in the absence of trouble, but in the certainty of God's presence. When a man through faith commits himself to God in all things, whether in life or in death, his heart is not afraid because he knows that God is with him and will help him. True peace is a gift of God alone, offered to the soul that ceases its striving and simply trusts.
--Martin Luther, *Commentary on the Book of Isaiah*
The Hebrew for ‘perfect peace’ is *shalom shalom*, signifying a peace that is complete and all-encompassing. It is not merely the absence of conflict but the presence of spiritual wholeness and flourishing. This state is not achieved through perfect circumstances, but through a mind steadfastly fixed on the character and promises of God, regardless of the storms that rage without.
--Timothy Keller, *The Reason for God*
Bernard of Clairvaux, *On Loving God*, circa 1140 AD.
"The reason for loving God is God Himself; the measure of that love is to love without measure."
Prayer is not a little habit to which we have been trained; it is a life of which we are a part, and which we could not give up if we would. It is the very breath of our spiritual existence.
Where is my mind truly staying today--on my circumstances, or on the one who holds them?
We cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always choose how we respond to them.
--Epictetus
St Clair, Michigan -- Partly Cloudy, 62F / 45F