Scripture: Isaiah 26:1-4: "In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:“ We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks.2 Open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock."
You know what it’s like to have a wandering mind. To start thinking thoughts that go all over the place. Now this isn’t always a blessing. One of the most challenging aspects we face in our suffering is where to go with our thinking when times are hard. Doubt tries to tell us we are unique and no one has it as hard as we do. But as you will see today, that is simply not true. God’s people have found it possible to have peace in even the most difficult places.
As we continue exploring what faithfulness looks like in the shadow of the cross, what we will see today is how to walk with steady trust when the road beneath us is uneven, and life refuses to cooperate with our expectations. Isaiah 26 teaches us that resurrection‑powered faithfulness is not found in perfect circumstances, but in a mind anchored to the Everlasting Rock.
In Hebrew, “perfect peace” that we see in verse three is shalom shalom—peace doubled. Not fragile peace. Not momentary peace. Not circumstantial peace. Thick, layered, all‑encompassing peace. Peace that holds even when life does not.
Some of you know what it is to battle intrusive thoughts. Some of you carry hardship that still echoes. Some of you walk through suffering that feels like it will never loosen its grip. And Isaiah dares to say that even in the middle of Assyrian captivity—even in the middle of your captivity—perfect peace is possible. How?
Because the mind is not stayed on circumstances. It is stayed on the Everlasting Rock. The Hebrew word for “stayed” means to lean your full weight on something—to rest your entire self on it. Isaiah is not calling the people to pretend their suffering isn’t real. He is calling them to anchor their minds to Someone stronger than their suffering.
This is not fairytale peace. It is resurrection peace. Peace rooted in a God who is greater than the darkness, greater than the trauma, greater than the fear, greater than the Assyrians, greater than the uneven road beneath your feet.
But this peace is not experienced by the double‑minded. It is tasted by those who throw themselves without reservation onto the Rock. The more we know God, the more we trust Him. And the more we trust Him, the more we find ourselves held by a peace that does not make sense to the world.
Think of the exchange. We bring God our short‑sightedness, and He gives us His omniscience. We bring Him our weakness, and He gives us His omnipotence. We bring Him our instability, and He gives us His unshakable strength. This is the peace Isaiah sings about.
Verse four is the call to trust. It’s the logical result of the first three verses. If trust in God leads to a steadfast mind that is kept in peace, then why would we not trust Him? The singer is urging people in the present to trust in light of the certainty of the promises. Trust who? Trust God who is the everlasting rock.
The rock is one of the favorite Old Testament descriptions of God. This language describes a place in which a person under distress or attack could hide, sheltering himself in one of the crannies and being able to defend himself against the attackers. We live in a world of uncertainty, so there is no better description of the one we could go to than the rock.
If you keep reading in this chapter, you will see that Isaiah shifts from thanksgiving to dependence. He uses the imagery of a path. In ancient Israel, roads rose and fell constantly. A level stretch was a gift and a huge relief. After all, would you want to walk up and down all the time? Isaiah says God makes the path level—not because life is easy, but because God is straight. He is not crooked. He is not deceptive. He does not lead His people in circles. His path has a destination, and He is clear about where it leads.
God is not twisted and crooked. That means that the road He calls us people to walk on is not twisted and crooked either. No this does not mean that it’s an easy road to walk and that there’s no ups and downs, but there is no deception in it and it’s not a road like the godless people walk. It has a final destination; God is clear about that destination.
Many of us hear Isaiah speak of a “level path” and immediately think, “My path is anything but level.” Some of you are walking steep climbs of grief, uneven ground of anxiety, or dark valleys of uncertainty. Isaiah is not promising a smooth life, but he is promising a faithful God. A level path does not mean the absence of suffering, confusion, setbacks, or unanswered questions. Instead, it means God is not crooked, not deceptive, not leading you in circles, and not taking you anywhere that is not ultimately good.
When the path is not level, trust becomes a choice rather than a feeling—choosing to lean your weight on God even when you feel afraid, praying, “Lord, I don’t understand this path, but I trust the One who leads it.” Waiting becomes obedience rather than passivity, because waiting is doing what is right while trusting God with the results—praying when you feel nothing, obeying when shortcuts look easier, refusing to run ahead of Him. God’s presence becomes the anchor rather than the outcome; He may not remove the fear or fix the situation immediately, but He will not leave you alone in it.
The good news for you today is that because Jesus has walked the uneven road, you will be able to make it successfully. No matter how rough the path is, how steep or how hard the climb, know that Jesus has gone before you and will secure you to the end. You see, faithfulness in the shadow of the cross means that we trust God not because the path is smooth and easy, but because we have a God who leads us straight.
Pastor Josh
Where is your path currently uneven, and how does Isaiah’s promise of “shalom‑shalom” challenge the way you’ve been interpreting that part of your journey?
What does it look like for you to “stay your mind” on the Everlasting Rock when intrusive thoughts, fear, or uncertainty try to take over?
Which part of the “uneven path” application resonates most with your season—trusting, waiting, guarding your imagination, leaning on community, or anchoring yourself in resurrection hope—and why?
Choose one area of your life where the road feels uneven—grief, anxiety, uncertainty, or waiting. Write down what your imagination has been telling you about that path. Then rewrite that same situation through the lens of Isaiah 26:3–4: “God is not crooked. God is not deceptive. God is my Rock. He will keep me in perfect peace as I trust Him.” Pray this truth over your situation each day this week, asking God to steady your mind and strengthen your trust as you walk the path He has set before you.
