"You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you!" Isaiah 26:3

It's baseball season and many fans follow their team through the summer months. Sometimes your team wins; sometimes they lose. I have been intrigued watching various professional pitchers--some are more successful than others. However, those who are the most successful seem to focus better than those who lose focus.

Along with focus is an incredible amount of practice. These pitchers don't think about the mechanics as they throw the ball because they have pitched so many times it has become automatic. So, the combination of practice and focus makes a big difference in their success as pitchers but it also seems to give them more confidence on the pitcher's mound. What does pitching have to do with Isaiah 26:3 ? There's a great lesson here . . .

This scripture teaches that those who trust (have confidence in) God have peace. It also teaches that part of acquiring that peace requires our thoughts be "fixed" (focused) on God. Just like the pitcher is successful when he keeps his focus and avoids the distractions of the "audience", our pursuit of "perfect peace" requires our focus be on God, which will help us to avoid the distractions of the world.

Keeping our focus on God also requires repetition, just like the pitcher practices throwing the ball. We need to daily practice focusing on God in our daily life by viewing our experiences through the lens of scripture and by regular prayer.

There are many places that the ball could be thrown just like there are many places our thoughts can wander. However, keeping our focus on God will avoid unnecessary "detours".

We can trust God because He loves us and wants the best for us. If we accept that truth, keeping our focus is much easier. Perfect peace is one of God's wonderful gifts to His children who trust in Him. When we have confidence in God, fear and anxiety can't distract us causing us to lose our focus on Him.

What have we learned? Perfect peace requires trust, focus and repetition. The rewards are well worth the effort!

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