194. Peace like a River
Isaiah 66:12 For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees.
The Lord promises to the Church, and the believers in it, that He will extend peace to her like a river and glory like a flowing stream. He promises that the Church will suck nourishment and refreshment and health from the life-giving milk of Mother Church. Like a tenderly cared-for baby the believers would be carried by the Church and dandled upon her knees. What God promises us is tender loving care, loving nourishment for life, safety and protection under His care.
The peace is the peace of God that He shares with us. This peace is pictured as a person basking along the banks of a peacefully flowing river, a bucolic scene that conjures feelings of security and relaxation. In God’s loving hands we are so cared for that peace flows over us and through us. This peace with God is the peace of God that passes understanding. “Since we have been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Peace is negatively described as the absence of war, strife, fighting, anger, upset, turmoil, frustration, chaos, and a life out of order. Peace is positively described as the presence of safety, security, satisfaction, being at ease, comforted, contented, and everything is right and good. By faith in Christ we are always and continually at peace, and sometimes peace is an actual feeling. But we have peace all the time whether we feel it or not. Peace always returns after strife, turmoil and chaos. And in both good times and in bad times the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. We have ups and downs, but peace undergirds us always. Then One Day peace will rule absolutely everything forever, and it will be a strong feeling, like a peacefully flowing stream that floods the soul. This is a promise we enjoy now by faith and we will enjoy later by sight.