October 6 – Peace Like a River (Isaiah 48:17-19)

“If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”(Isaiah 48:18)

IN WORD:
If only. Those two words are small in their grammatical place meant but enormous in their tragic implications. They mean that things could have been different. Much different. They mean that if the response of God’s people had been other than what it was, much heartache could have been avoided. Blessings would have flowed, but it didn’t. If only.
Like Isaiah, we’ve spoken them, too. Everyone has regrets. That’s part of living in a fallen world. We know that if we had been more diligent and faithful, our lives today could be radically different than they turned out. Even if we’re happy right now, we wonder what could have been and what would have been. Why? Because sooner or later we come to a melancholy realization: Life can always be better.
We seek the God of comfort to tell us why bad things have happened — why we’re in debt, why we lost that job, why our family isn’t a happy one, why our dreams aren’t fulfilled. But deep down we know. It isn’t because God let us down; it’s because we let Him down; We didn’t live up to His instructions. That dreaded rebellious streak that we all seem to have, has led us in futile directions contrary to the explicit teaching of our Maker. We don’t know what we were thinking when we went away from Him, but we want to come back. His plan is better; we know that now. We want to be restored to a place of peace like a river and righteousness like the sea.

IN DEED:
That’s the beauty of the gospel of grace. It never puts us in an unredeemable position. Whenever we say, “If only,” God says, “Now you can.” Maybe there are lost years, but they are past. God can redeem them for a bountiful future. The important thing is that we’ve learned that His voice is not demanding for His own ego, but insistent for our own good. We can follow Him with trust that His way leads to peace and righteousness. We must follow Him with that trust. If we can, we’ll be blessed. If only.

“Stayed upon Jehovah, heats are fully blessed, finding as He promised, perfect peace and rest.” -Frances Havergal-