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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: River (08/31/06)
PEACE AS A RIVER

Isaiah 48:18 O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:
(KJV)

Have you ever stood at the edge of a lake, stream, river, or ocean? Have you felt the peace envelope like a cloak?

I have felt that peace when I stood and just let my thoughts and worries wash out with the waves. I could have stayed there for hours.

Isaiah the prophet is saying the same thing to us in this verse. He states that when we obey the commandments that God has put in place for us, then we will have that same peace. There could be a storm that seems like the end of the world, but when we obey Him, it turns all our storms into calm seas.

Then had thy peace been as a river.

We have heard and sung the song many times, Peace like a River. Every time I’ve sung it, I felt the peace of the person who wrote it. He was beset with trouble on all sides, yet he knew who the Author of peace is, and was able to pen the words to that mighty song.

What songs fill your heart and mind? Are you singing songs that bring the heart and mind to the brink of destruction? Or are you singing songs that lift your heart and mind out of the chaos of life, and know beyond the knowing that you will make it through the storm.

Think a moment about a river. Why is there so much peace that comes to mind whenever you think about a river? When you look at a lake, river, or ocean on a stormy day, what comes to mind, trouble or peace? Whenever I see whitecaps on a lake, or watch the ocean swells rise against cliffs or large rocks, my heart swells with each wave and is filled with peace. That wave is taking with it all the things that aren’t good for life and washing them back into the sea. Just knowing that is enough to bring the mind and body into perfect harmony with the waves. There is peace that surrounds us, and goes deep within, reaching down into the problem and washing it away.

And thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.

What makes us righteous? To be righteous means simply to be in right standing with God. When you put all the pieces of this verse together, it simply states that when we obey God, we will find peace. The same peace you find when you stand on the edge of a lake, river, or ocean. Doing God’s will causes the storms in our life to calm. Just as the storm threatened to overflow the ship that Jesus was in, when we put all our trust and faith in Him then He will come against the storm and there will be peace. A calm will envelope our lives, and we will find that we have given up the rags that were our clothes, and put on the robes of righteousness. Then we will go out as the waves of the sea into the world, and bring the Gospel to everyone just as Jesus commanded us to do.

We will go out, and as the waves of the sea that touch every beach, so too our lives will touch every life, and we will bring peace out of chaos to all those who are receptive to the Word of God.

Then there will be peace like a river, and our hearts will rejoice because it is in complete harmony with God. To obey is better than sacrifice, and changes our rags into robes of righteousness. Be like the waves of the sea. Go out and touch a life today with the Gospel of peace, and watch and see where that word will go. It will be like a river that flows into an ocean, and touches every beach.

Father, bring peace like a river into our lives as we obey Your word, and take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Let us be like the waves of the sea as we go out into the world and touch the lives of the people You love. Change our rags into robes of righteousness as we obey and do Your will. In Jesus name I pray, amen.
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This article has been read 1396 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Fenny West
09/07/06
A very inspirational piece on 'Peace Like a River' and prayer. Good progression and exposition.
I whole-heartedly endorse your sentiments.
Well done!
Joanne Sher 
09/09/06
Wonderful exposition - you have great points! I enjoyed this very much - this is also one of my favorite verses!
Malin Boman
09/11/06
The way you have divided the verse up into parts and then describe each section makes this piece interesting to read. It also gives you a deeper understanding of the entire verse as you bring it out in picture form and encourage the reader to reflect on their own experience.
I really like the last parpagraph of how you describe the peace of God like a river that then can flow out into the sea to touch the world around us.
Thank you for giving me a vivid picture of His peace!