TOPIC: Enduring Peace
TEXT: Isaiah 26:12-21
12. LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us; for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.
O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us; but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise; therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.
Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, thou hast increased the nation; thou art glorified; thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth.
LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.
Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD.
We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
KEY VERSE:
“LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.” – (Isaiah 26:12)
MESSAGE:
In a traumatised world like ours, we need to ask God to establish peace and quietness for us. All-round and abiding peace is an aspiration we should pray and work for until it is realised.
The passage under consideration is part of a psalm or hymn of praise to God for His benevolence, deliverance and defense of Judah. Prophet Isaiah brings to public notice the fact that there is a great God in Judah who protects and guides the affairs of His holy people. He said of this God – “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusted in thee” (Isaiah 26:3).
For our lasting personal, family, community, congregational and national peace, we need to trust the Lord Jehovah who is our everlasting Source of peace and strength. Enduring peace is one of the products of a holy and righteous walk with Christ. Only the Prince of peace can produce satisfactory and steadfast peace in the life and affairs of a believer. The case of Jehoshaphat comes to mind. Because he sought after the God of David his great-grandfather and walked with the Lord in truth, the Lord God preserved his life and kingdom from terrible kings and nations.
God is a faithful Father who commands and ordains peace for trusting souls. The Holy Scripture is replete with divine promises of peace, protection, provision, preservation and prosperity for the righteous. We must pray until God ordains peace for us in our time.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Enduring peace is the outcome of a righteous walk with God.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 Chronicles 25-29
DCLM Daily Manna 19th July 2021 Deeper Life Devotional Message was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
