Mike Focht 10/25/2024
The Holy Spirit, inspiring the prophet Isaiah, has blessed the people of God with several beautiful images and truths. One of which is peace like a river. God cries through the prophet, saying, Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea. The image, divinely spoken, divinely created, and divinely given, is full of instruction and comfort. In practical terms, we want to know this: How is the Christian's peace like a river?
The answer is simple. Because of their new relation to God, Christians have a fountainhead of peace constantly flowing into their lives. This river of peace was not something we had outside of Christ. This river of peace is only accessible to those who are in Christ. Even though the Christian still faces all the difficulties that the unsaved face in this sin-sick world, their heart has access to other streams.
What do I mean? I mean that the child of God can find peace in places the unsaved cannot. The Christian has peace with God the Father for all eternity. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Christian has perfect peace because he lives with, in, and for a perfect Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Christians are constantly hopeful because the Holy Spirit abides with us and never leaves us as orphans. Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Godhead is committed to being an ever-flowing river of peace to our hearts and lives. A Rock has been opened in our wilderness wanderings and dry places. We still travel through this wilderness as strangers and pilgrims and face the necessities, heat, and wild beasts common to it, but still, the river of our peace flows all along the journey.
We need to understand this. The experience of earthly trials and afflictions does not mean we are without peace. There are ungodly streams of sin, fear, anxiety, sorrow, pain, and death that run into this river of peace that God has opened for us. Yet they do not stop or pollute God’s river because the flow of peace is always deeper, stronger, purer. Even if, for a short while, the clean taste of this river is masked to an extent, I know that all pollutants will dissipate and fade while this river of peace will flow on into the ocean of eternity.
After all, it is the very peace of God flowing to us and there is no unrest before the throne of God. Let anyone who seeks peace like a river walk circumspectly along the clear path of God’s commandments. God wants us to know that the good way runs ever parallel to the river’s bank, close enough that any tired and thirsty pilgrim can kneel and quench their thirst with living waters.