Therapeutic Peace
Peace, peace, to the far and to the near, says the Lord; and I will heal them. Isaiah 57: 19
I have said it before. It takes humility to be repentant. There is therefore no such thing as a proud, repentant person. The arrogance produced by pride, creates a barrier to repentance. TodayÂ’s text is part of verses speaking of the way God relates to those who are humble and repentant. It promises peace regardless of where you are physically. This peace that is promised is a precursor to healing, which is also promised in the same breath. Imagine then that you are living under captivity, and oppression. You cannot enjoy peace in your physical or your spiritual life. Everything has been disrupted. Then comes the prophecy of Isaiah. I will bring peace and healing. For Israel, Peace meant restoration to their former position as a nation to be spoken about and revered, while healing meant a return to the homeland and rebuilding it to its former glory.
I have said it before. It takes humility to be repentant. There is therefore no such thing as a proud, repentant person. The arrogance produced by pride, creates a barrier to repentance. TodayÂ’s text is part of verses speaking of the way God relates to those who are humble and repentant. It promises peace regardless of where you are physically. This peace that is promised is a precursor to healing, which is also promised in the same breath. Imagine then that you are living under captivity, and oppression. You cannot enjoy peace in your physical or your spiritual life. Everything has been disrupted. Then comes the prophecy of Isaiah. I will bring peace and healing. For Israel, Peace meant restoration to their former position as a nation to be spoken about and revered, while healing meant a return to the homeland and rebuilding it to its former glory.
Let me ask you today, what do you need to bring peace into your life, your home, your situation? While in the Old Testament peace was seen as being brought about by a direct act of God, the New Testament points to a more therapeutic peace. Here peace is brought on by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the lives of GodÂ’s children. According to Galatians 5, one of the nine attribute of the Holy Spirit in the believerÂ’s life is peace. This peace will come only with the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. It is not enough to be a member of the church of to attend church. To experience this peace we must have a hunger for the Holy Spirit. In Luke 11: 13, Jesus said, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"
The Holy Spirit then produces a peace in our lives such as we have never known. It will permeate every fiber of our being. With the peace of the Holy Spirit in our lives, not an area of our life will be left untouched. Our relationships with each other will be healed. We will find solutions to our problems. Our aching and ailing bodies will be healed. We will find comfort in our loneliness, and joy in our mourning. This peace will be ours when we shift our focus from ourselves, our situations, others, and church, and begin to focus on God and Him alone. Everything else will automatically fall into place and we will be at peace with ourselves, with others and most importantly, we will be at peace with God. There is no other order in which this can happen. We have to be at peace with others and ourselves before we can be at peace with God. Philippians 4: 7 reminds us And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. We need this peace to live the Christian life.
May we all hunger for this therapeutic peace in our lives today, and experience healed relationships, mended spirits, and a wholesome life in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Till next Tuesday, be blessed.
The Holy Spirit then produces a peace in our lives such as we have never known. It will permeate every fiber of our being. With the peace of the Holy Spirit in our lives, not an area of our life will be left untouched. Our relationships with each other will be healed. We will find solutions to our problems. Our aching and ailing bodies will be healed. We will find comfort in our loneliness, and joy in our mourning. This peace will be ours when we shift our focus from ourselves, our situations, others, and church, and begin to focus on God and Him alone. Everything else will automatically fall into place and we will be at peace with ourselves, with others and most importantly, we will be at peace with God. There is no other order in which this can happen. We have to be at peace with others and ourselves before we can be at peace with God. Philippians 4: 7 reminds us And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. We need this peace to live the Christian life.
May we all hunger for this therapeutic peace in our lives today, and experience healed relationships, mended spirits, and a wholesome life in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Till next Tuesday, be blessed.
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