“You keep completely safe the people who maintain their faith, for they trust in you.”
Isaiah 26:3 NET
This whole section of Isaiah is about God’s restoration of His people. It has a particular leaning in language toward a final restoration. We know that Jesus came, as God, to restore all people and provide salvation. Isaiah 26 seems to point toward a future where all believers in God will be safe and in a peaceful place, a place that will never end. Jesus’ sacrifice is a one action for all time. He has already ushered in peace that will never end. This is something that we have access to even here in our sinful and fallen state. This peace can infill us and restore us even though all is broken around us. Our very lives can be broken but peace can fill us knowing that this hell is temporary and full restoration is our destiny. This is what we must always hang on to.
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Romans 12:21 NET
When we understand that other’s actions toward us often come from their own personal struggles and misunderstandings we can see how evil happens. Although some people do things maliciously some actions are just out of self preservation and desires. Both the intentional and unintentional actions toward us are done out of a misunderstanding of God’s reality. They see the world as ‘dog eat dog’ or ‘survival of the fittest’ or ‘might is right’. This is reality for so many people around the world. God promotes a different reality, one grounded in love and forgiveness. A response to what is going on which sees the person and not the action. This is God’s way. Some people can do this almost naturally. But it is very difficult and can only truly be done consistently with the influence and working of God’s Spirit in our lives. The Holy Spirit can work on our lives with our explicit request or just with our thoughts and inclinations. If our inclination is to show compassion and to forgive God will strengthen this intention. All the good that we do or attempt to do is because of the goodness of God shining through us.
“For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God,”
Titus 2:11-12 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/tit.2.11-12.NLT
Without grace we would have no chance. The hidden ruler of this world only offers ‘blind pitiless indifference’ to misquote Richard Dawkins. This is the only existence available when we remove God from our understanding. Grace is undeserved favour. God offers that to us but it has a condition – this is the part most people struggle with. God’s condition is that we need to believe and trust in Him. We need to see that He is good and trust that He is good. The devil’s protest from the beginning has always been his desire to negate God from the equation. The reality, in the most simplest of terms, is that life does not exist removed from God. We can go on living without God but will slowly and irrevocably decline and destroy ourselves. This is why the ability to exist eternally was not given to us human and the idea of an eternal soul is not consistent with the Bible (that is our eternal nature is dependant on God alone). The reality is that we need God to exist. Really though, ‘need’ does not describe our relationship and connection to God. God has a deep and longing desire for us and God wants nothing more than for us to reciprocate. This is not supposed to be limiting but a natural response to the most beautiful and loving BEING in the universe – in all existence. If only we could see how beautiful God was we would desire to be next to Him always, like He desires to be with us. This is where our salvation comes from. Our salvation is saving us from our self-made prison of living and our earth-hell reality.
“If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
1 John 1:8-9 NLT
We sin all the time. It is part of our nature. Sin is ignoring God and pushing God away. It is called sin because it leads to our own destruction. God doesn’t keep a record of these wrongs and stands ready to cleanse us. All God wants is for us to have life! This means a life that is fulfilling – and eternal. This is what He offers us by dying for us to prove His great love. His death proved that He would do anything to save us from our destiny. Jesus’ death proves the lengths God has gone to bring us home.
“But as for you, be strong and don’t get discouraged, for your work will be rewarded.””
2 Chronicles 15:7 NET
Azariah the prophet is prophesying to King Asa of Judah. The king was committing himself to God. He removed pagan idols and places of worship and re-committed the whole land to God. Azariah encourages him to continue and to be strong. He assures the king that his good work will be rewarded, and it was. Judah had peace for many years and King Asa remained faithful all that time. This story highlights what God does with each of us. When we draw close to Him and seek Him He is always available. “Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.” James 4:8 NLT. When we remove ourselves He remains available but steps back and leaves us alone. God respects us and gives us space.
“But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.”
Galatians 5:16 NET
The only true way to live a life that is joyful is to embrace the reality that we can’t do this life on our own. When we recognise that we need help we give ourselves over to the Holy Spirit to guide and instruct us. This challenge comes after the instruction to love – to love others and to serve others. “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.”” Galatians 5:13-14 NET. To be able to act in this way toward our fellow human takes a strength that few can muster. It is through the Spirit of God that we receive the ability to operate out of love: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23 NET.