And In that Day...

 

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.  The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all.  The cow will graze near the bear.  The cub and the calf will lie down together.  The lion will eat hay like a cow.  The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.  Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.  Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord.  Isaiah 11:6-9

As I read this passage again this morning there was a recurring thought that kept playing over in the pictures of my mind.  I imagined the sense of fear that is common to all existence…and the absence of fear. 

·       A child playing near a deadly cobra’s hole…safely.

·       An African American man driving through a “white” neighborhood…calmly

·       A Caucasian woman stopping at a street corner to ask three young Chinese men for directions…and sharing a laugh.

Life, whether you’re at the top of the food chain, or the bottom, has a large directory of extant fears, and the corresponding survival techniques we develop to head-off our personal extinction.  Some fear is healthy in a fallen world.  I can think of these without even trying:

          ·       The fear of gravity’s effect on an airplane in which I’m riding

          ·       Worry over the strength of iron bars between me and that lion at the zoo

          ·       Concern when my son stayed out way later than curfew

          ·       …and on, into the night.

There is fear enough to go around; I’m certain the enemy of our souls has made sure the supply of fear will be abundant.  It’s part of his arsenal.

The Christian’s arsenal against fear has only one weapon, the Word of God.  Isaiah’s prophecy is about a day when fear will be absent.  God may be telling us that our character and nature will be so changed we will have no desire at all for the greed, power, and conquest that exhibits itself in wars and other atrocities we visit on each other.  It may just be that God will even remove the memory of fear.

Of course that day is not here…yet!  For now we still wouldn’t let our babies play near the snake’s hole, or leave the sheep unguarded.  But appropriate prudence and wisdom should not rob us of the joy of anticipating such a time as Isaiah’s vision, nor working for bits and pieces of that fear-enemy’s destruction.

          ·       We can take care of God’s creation

          ·       We can resist racism by learning to love others with Godliness

          ·       We can be generous, and less suspicious

For You Today

In that Longest Journey Starts with the First Small Step department, how about putting your biggest fear on the altar today?  We could start learning to live like Isaiah’s lambs and lions.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title and Other Images:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

For another post on this text see Taming the Devil

Now, But Not Yet

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Monday, December 17, 2018

In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.

The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all.

The cow will graze near the bear.  The cub and the calf will lie down together.

The lion will eat hay like a cow.  The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.
Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.

Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea,
so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord.  Isaiah 11:6-9(NLT)

One of the most difficult concepts to wrap my mind around has always been the calling upon the Christian’s life to accept the Now, but Not Yet reality of Kingdom peace.  Peace is a reality now, but will not be accomplished (in the sense that God banishes everything which is not peace), until the not yet part is over; but we are to work towards it, even now. 

That’s like telling me to enjoy my ice cream even though I can’t have it until tomorrow!  While that goes against the typical instant gratification instinct of babies, mature believers have worked through that paradoxical impasse and live in the mystery of now, but not yet.  Though we may not see genuine, lasting, and total peace in this lifetime, we can live-into that quality of peace in Jesus Christ, because the Holy Spirit gives us Jesus’ promise:

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7(NLT)

One thing I have learned about this promise of God’s peace is that it is true, and doesn’t depend upon the circumstances, even if the circumstances scream the total opposite!

My bride is a highly competent administrator.  She has worked with many pastors and denominational leaders assisting ministry in a number of settings.  Once she worked with a most difficult denominational assistant director whose personality bordered on Atilla the Hun.  He was Napoleon and General Patton rolled-up in one nifty, order-spewing package.  He called her from his car one day to read Elizabeth the riot act for the way she had handled some task.  In the middle of his tirade my sweet wife spoke up; she said:  I’m sorry; how can I make it right?  The phone went silent for longer than a few seconds, and when the boss next spoke his whole demeanor had transformed into a calm and rational co-laborer.  He never barked at her again.

Now that kind of makes you believe what Scripture declares:

A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.  Proverbs 15:1(NLT)

For You Today

When believers are willing to overlook the world’s lack of peace, and live-into their Master’s promises, wonderful things can happen in the Now, but Not Yet department!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image:  Pixabay.com