 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. 5 For he has humbled the inhabitants of the height, the lofty city. He lays it low, lays it low to the ground, casts it to the dust. 6 The foot tramples it, the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy.” 7 The path of the righteous is level; you make level the way of the righteous. 8 In the path of your judgments, O Lord, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul. 9 My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. 10 If favor is shown to the wicked, he does not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly and does not see the majesty of the Lord. 11 O Lord, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed. Let the fire for your adversaries consume them. 12 O Lord, you will ordain peace for us, for you have indeed done for us all our works. 13 O Lord our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone we bring to remembrance. 14 They are dead, they will not live they are shades, they will not arise; to that end you have visited them with destruction and wiped out all remembrance of them. 15 But you have increased the nation, O Lord, you have increased the nation; you are glorified; you have enlarged all the borders of the land. 16 O Lord, in distress they sought you; they poured out a whispered prayer when your discipline was upon them. 17 Like a pregnant woman who writhes and cries out in her pangs when she is near to giving birth, so were we because of you, O Lord; 18 we were pregnant, we writhed, but we have given birth to wind. We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen. 19 Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead. 20 Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by. 21 For behold, the Lord is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it, and will no more cover its slain. Meditation Do you have peace? I regularly speak with people crippled from anxiety. In the midst of societal unrest and uncertainty the prophet points to the perfect path of peace. Isaiah’s song of salvation (1) includes anticipation (2-6) and confirmation (19-21) of the victory of God, sandwiching reflection on the past (7-18). Prominently centered is a prescription for peace in the present and resurrection hope for those who wait for God’s final victory. The prescription for perfect peace is to keep our minds centered on the Lord and trust in Him, both today and tomorrow (3-4). This means we take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) to the victory and sovereignty of God, especially during uncertain times. When we cast our anxieties on the Lord then His peace will guard our minds and we are free to dwell upon His character, promises, and purposes (Philippians 4:6-8). God is our everlasting rock (4) and His promises are our full hope, our stability, our strength, and our ever-present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46). Those who wait on God will experience resurrection (19), the reality of victory begun in the song of 25:8 begins to have more clarity. Those who trust in God need not fear death as it is a doorway into the final and eternal victory of God. The promises of victory are all “YES” in Jesus Christ. We have perfect peace IN Him and when we trust HIM we will have peace for today and bright hope for tomorrow! Richly Dwelling -Do you have peace? Why or why not? -Is it difficult for you to keep your mind centered on the Lord? OR are you more centered on news headlines and personal heartache? -Trusting in the Lord is an invitation to all God’s people. When we trust God we will experience resurrection hope from our everlasting Rock. Take a moment to consider the areas of anxiety in your life. Write them down. Pray over them, giving them to Jesus one by one. Thank Christ for being your Rock and write His name in a different color pen over the anxiety. Jesus covers our fears and in faith we can have perfect peace in Him and His victory! Key Verse 3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Comments are closed.
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