Highlights:
Our righteousness as filthy rags; prayer for God's presence; the New Jerusalem; promises of inward contentment.
For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream (Is. 66:12).
There is a peace of God that passeth all understanding (Phil. 4:7) — as never-ending as a great and mighty river. This peace is the promised inheritance of every child of God. Jesus said: Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled (John 14:27).
Our Lord didn't promise freedom from suffering; nor did He promise success and prosperity. But He did promise an inward peace like a well of water springing up into everlasting life (4:14). This peace that comes from the Lord is so different from anything the world can give. There really is no comparison because there is nothing in this life that can offer true peace except for the Prince of Peace, Himself. The best the world can offer us is a temporary “cease fire”. This means maybe for a short time we might experience some calm from the storms of life. This calm is temporary and rooted in deception.
The peace of God is, in fact, long lasting and eternal. This peace does not mean that we will not endure trials and tribulations. It simply means we have someone carrying us through it all. Our God can be compared to the pilot that guides the plane through a safe spot in a massive storm. This peace is truly hard to describe or comprehend unless you have felt it in your own heart. How do we find this true peace? For the believer, it is found in faith and hope in Christ Jesus and His Word (see II Thess. 2:16-17; Heb. 6:18-20; I Pet. 1:3-5). If you belong to Christ, this is yours: Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost (Rom. 15:13).
Christ the Living Water, should flow from the life of those who have made Him Lord of their lives. It is the Holy Ghost living inside us that will empower us to live in a way that the love and peace of Christ flows out of us for all the world to see. When God has full control of our lives, we will be like a fountain for Christ.
If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:37-38).
Thought for Today:
We can live in perfect peace when we keep our minds stayed on the Lord.
Christ Revealed:
As the Creator of new heavens and a new earth (Is. 65:17; 66:22; comp. John 1:1-3; II Pet. 3:13). As the One whose glory will be declared among the nations (Is. 66:18-19; Rev. 5:12-13).
Word Studies:
64:3 terrible = awesome, revered greatly, greatly to be feared; 64:11 are laid waste = have been destroyed; 65:14 howl for vexation of spirit = cry out in misery; 66:6 voice = sound.
Prayer Needs:
Pray for Staff: Pam Murton • Government Official: Rep. Pete J. Visclosky (IN) • Country: Portugal (10 million) in western Europe • Major language: Portuguese • Limited religious freedom • 95% Christian; 5% non-Religious/Other; .5% Muslim; .1% Hindu; .01% Jewish • Prayer Suggestion: Thank God for His mercy to cleanse from all sins (Ps. 51:2).
Optional Reading: I Peter 3
Memory Verse for the Week: Isaiah 55:11