Daily Devotional

The phrase “to lean” means we rest on something for support.  Daily we need support to work through the things we experience and feel.  We can look for support in the right or wrong places.  Leaning on the wrong things or people will create more problems physically and emotionally for us.  I have always found there is one person I can always lean on for needed support.  In fact, He invites me to come to Him with my problems and cares.  Jesus Christ is the One who has always promised to be there for us, to hold us, and help us in our time of need.  Throughout life I have been learning to trust the Lord and lean on Him.  It reminds me of the words of a hymn written by John Stallings, “Learning to Lean.”  

1.     The joy I can’t explain filled my soul
The day I made Jesus my king.
His Blessed Holy Spirit is leading my way,
He's teaching and I'm learning to lean.
(Chorus) Learning to lean,
Learning to lean,
I'm learning to lean on Jesus.
Finding more power than I've ever dreamed,
I'm learning to lean on Jesus.

2.     Sad broken hearted, at an alter I knelt.
I found peace that was so serene.
And all that He asks is a childlike trust,
And a heart that is learning to lean
(Chorus)

3.     There's a glorious victory, each day now for me.
I've found peace so serene.
He helps me with each task, If I'll only ask.
Every day now I'm learning to lean.
(Chorus)

I am finding that I need to “learn to lean” on Jesus more and more as I live each day.  My mind needs to learn to rest in the person and character of our Lord.  Difficult and stressful times are not anything new in our world.  The Prophet Isaiah writes to the Nation of Israel about experiencing God’s peace during stressful times.  

"The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You.  Trust in the LORD forever, For in God the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.”  (Isaiah 26:3–4 NASB)

This peace results from a deliberate adjustment of one’s life to the will of God.  It is trust in action.  This individual of whom Isaiah refers, is at peace with himself, with God and with others.  We can experience this peace…

• When we have a right frame of mind

Isaiah tells us that we need to have a steadfast mind.  The word means, “to lean, to rest or to support.”  The idea is of being sustained because of leaning on something that is supporting you.

The word “mind” comes from a word that means to frame, to fashion or to form.  Isaiah is telling his readers that they need to have a right frame of mind.  This frame of mind is supported by what it is leaning on.  The steadfast mind is leaning on the truth of who God is and the promises He has made.  Today our mind is supported by leaning on God’s Word which reveals to us the person and character of God and what He has promised to do in our lives.  From these Scriptural truths the mind will receive support that will hold it up in troubling times.

Isaiah goes on to say that the steadfast in mind will be kept in peace.  The idea expressed is that of keeping, guarding, and watching over from all danger.  This right frame of mind is being produced in a person’s life as one’s mind leans on the Lord and finds safety in Him.

This mind that leans on God for support is experiencing perfect peace.  The Hebrew literally says, “Shalom, shalom.”  It does not mean perfect peace as is found in many translations but the idea being expressed is unending security, a sense of uninterrupted, perpetual rest and calmness.  This peace does not find itself in human resources but comes from God upon whom the person leans.

• When we have a right trust

Because we trust in the Lord, we can experience peace.  The word Isaiah uses for “trust” means to throw oneself down upon one’s face.  Isaiah is speaking of abandoning all the crutches we could lean on and placing all our anxiety, all our being and all our circumstances on the only One who can support us.  Today we can only find peace when we completely entrust ourselves to the Lord.

• When we have a right foundation

 
We often find ourselves questioning whether the Lord can support us.  Isaiah describes the Lord as an everlasting rock.  We can lean on this solid rock that will sustain all our weight.  He is the solid foundation that will never give way but will remain through all time.  As we completely trust the Lord, He will never let us down but will always be our sure foundation.  

Isaiah has revealed to us that we should have a frame of mind that is receiving support from leaning on God and being sustained by the Lord, Who is watching over us.  Because we fully lean and rely upon God and no other, He is our everlasting support and source of peace.

Prayer:  Lord, help me to trust you more each day.  I can only experience peace when I trust You.  I need to fix my mind on You, amid this world of uncertainty.  I choose to rest in you as my sure foundation today and throughout all the days of my life.  Amen

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