Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.  Isaiah 26:3 (KJV)

I recently had a bout with vertigo.  If you’ve never experienced it, I hope you don’t.  It can be brought on by various things and, depending on the cause, can be medically treated.

As I was pondering Isaiah 26:3, I drew some comparisons to my recent experience with vertigo.  To “stop the room from spinning” during a vertigo episode, I have learned to put my finger in front of my face and intently focus on it while I count backward from 30.  Thankfully, it works every time!  As Isaiah says, God will keep us in perfect peace if our minds are intently focused on Him, those “whose mind is stayed on thee.”

Vertigo hits suddenly, without warning, sometimes after a quick move or a “repositioning.”  It can be disorienting and momentarily disabling.  It can cause fear—dread of another episode.  Similarly, our lives can get quickly into a tailspin when we get our focus off of our Lord.  Some feel as if their lives are spinning out of control—a divorce, an addiction, or financial difficulties.  Many scramble around from one thing to another, trying to find relief—trying to get the “room to stop spinning.”  Others just curl up in a ball and retreat from life, afraid to make a move or to reposition themselves.

The first step back to peace is to take our focus off of our circumstances and instead, look into the face of Jesus.  Try it…..keep looking, and looking, and looking.  Breathe in His peace and start trusting Him again with your life.  As Isaiah says, God will keep us in perfect peace as we focus on Him and trust Him, “because he trusteth in thee.”

When I’ve done what I know to do to “stop the room fro spinning”—it works!  I’ve developed a trust that if it starts spinning again, for whatever reason, I can get it to stop.  Years ago when I had a few vertigo attacks, I had not yet learned the technique of focusing.  I have to admit, vertigo had a lot more power over me in those days.  I thought all I could do was take Dramamine and be in bed for a few hours.  Learning to focus gave me more control and confidence in facing occasional vertigo.

Learning to keep our minds stayed on God, trusting His Word, and remembering our own experiences of receiving His peace give us a new sense of control, confidence, and security as we face the inevitable circumstances of life.