“For ye shall go forth with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing.” Isaiah 55:12
Dear Ones:
How does God reveal Himself to us? How do we KNOW that He is speaking to us? It has always been the case, as we find in the example of God’s dealings with Samuel, that He speaks, and then confirms that it is Him who is speaking. With regard to Samuel, we read: “And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh: for the Lord REVEALED Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of God.” (1 Samuel 3:21) Again, what is God’s way of “appearing,” or “revealing” Himself to our hearts? It is by the witness of His Spirit, first of all in the giving of His word, and secondly, by the giving to us His peace.
In Isaiah 55, in stark contrast with the “thoughts and ways” of men, God declares: “So shall MY word be that goes forth from My mouth.” (v.11) When we speak of HIS word, we are looking at two things: First, the very written word that has been passed down to us for generations, one composed by Him through approximately forty authors, written over a period of at least 2000 years. This written word is infallible, and stands as a bastion and basis of faith since its writing. The second WORD of which we speak, is the Lord Jesus Himself, the living Word. It is as God takes the written word, and communicates Himself to us by the LIVING WORD, that He reveals Himself to us. We are apt to always be looking for the “great” circumstance, or intervention of God, when in essence, the greatness of the revelation is in the quiet place, the place of aloneness with Him, where He by the Spirit, takes His word, gives us a true understanding of it, and then confirms it to us by the peace that He gives BY the Spirit.
Let us take the example of Israel, and her return from the exile. The Lord would tell her: “Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans with a voice of singing.” (Is 48:20) Elsewhere He declares: “Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence…” (Is. 52:11) The word is very clear. But what about the “confirmation” that it is of Him, at a particular time, and in a particular way? First of all there is a promise of the Lord: “…that confirmeth the word of His servant.” (Is. 44:26) How does He do this? “…For you shall go out with JOY, and be led forth with PEACE; the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing…” (Is. 55:12) There is the objective declaration of God, as in the days of Samuel, of His word. God then confirms that word by the communication of His PEACE and JOY. These are fruits of the Spirit, fruits of the Life of Christ. When one is in line with Him, in His will, He gives His peace.
Paul reaffirms this in his letter to the Colossians, “…and let the PEACE of God RULE in your hearts…” (Col. 3:15) When God truly speaks in clarity, always according to the written word and in conformity with Christ, there will be the provision of His peace. This is the confirmation. What a most extraordinary, and remarkable reality, that God speaks to our individual hearts, giving us counsel and instruction. He then confirms that His word is of Him, when His peace is given to the heart. This peace is to RULE. It is to be the umpire of the soul, the evidence of His confirmation.
Dear Father, give us to live truly by faith, according to the “word of Christ,” dwelling in our hearts richly, but confirmed to us by the peace that You give. Enable us to go forth this day in Thy peace, certain of Thy guidance and provision, as a testimony to Your blessed presence and blessing. We thank Thee in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad