Today we will look at the final verses of Isaiah 55. What a great way to start the weekend!
“You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! 13 Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up. These events will bring great honor to the Lord’s name; they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.” verses 12 & 13 NLT
I toyed with two titles for this blog – The Hills Are Alive or Blessings of Peace and Joy. Both are appropriate for these verses.
Step back to one of yesterday’s verses.
“It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”
God’s word is the tie in to our joy and peace. The Israelites learned that often. As long as they were serving God and following His word they had peace in their land. However, when they followed after false gods and ignored God’s word they would be defeated in battle and at times were taken into exile.
We read yesterday where Jesus compared our hearts to soil and God’s word to good seed but not all seed is good. Some seeds produce thorns, nettles and stubborn weeds. Those are the seeds of bitterness, anger, self-righteousness, jealousy, maliciousness, envy, strife…
“But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,” Colossians 3:8-10 NLT
When we let God’s word take root in our hearts – in our thinking and our actions – He will give us the wherewithal to pull up the weeds. New trees will grow, new life with prosper.
“ Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 NLT
God knows there will be times we struggle with thoughts of doubt and anxiousness; He’s always there to see us through.
“When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.” Psalm 94:19
Have you ever asked yourself why, why would God do all of this for me? Why would He spend so much time and effort on my well-being? If you have, here’s the answer:
“These events will bring great honor to the Lord’s name; they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.” verse 13 NLT
There are lots of gods in this world but they enslave instead of bringing freedom. They curse instead of bless; they damn instead of enriching. God is not the damn-er, He is a blesser.
When we walk in His word the world will see the blessings of God in our lives and it will be a testament of his power and love. Even the mountains and the hills will sing and the trees will be clapping with joy!