Hello, and welcome to Enbolden, living a bold Christian life. I'm Chris Shutter, an ordinary Christian living with and learning about an extraordinary God. In this episode, we'll be exploring how to hold the line through the 25 promises found in the Book of Isaiah. Today's hold the line verse comes from Isaiah 25, 8.
The sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces. He will remove his people's disgrace from all the earth the Lord has spoken. For Christmastime, we frequently hear the phrase, Peace on Earth. But like so many popularized snippets from the Bible, the meaning can be confused when interpreted from a worldly point of view.
Peace so often means a lack of something in the world, strife, war, noise, chaos. But in God's universe, it's an addition of something. Having grown up in San Diego, I had the fortunate experience of learning to sail. As a Girl Scout, I started out in small one-man's savbits.
Eventually, I became skilled at sailing catamaran and larger sloops. I've even been a crew member of an old sailing ship which sailed the 31 miles from Long Beach Harbor across the ocean to Santa Catalina Island. It was an amazing trip. On many of those sailboats, you'll find what's called a set of lifelines.
They run from stem to stern along the edge of the boat. Their purpose? To be used as a last chance, handhold a grip before plunging into the water. That's how I see God's peace brought into our world and more specifically my life.
Peace, as brought about by the coming of Jesus, is not the lack of something, it's the addition of our new lifeline. God promises throughout the Old Testament that He will send His messenger to wipe away our tears and to bring us salvation. And when Jesus arrived, so many people misunderstood His purpose. It was not to become an earthly king and conquer all our physical adversaries.
He came to teach us that His ways are higher and His love for us is so great. You see, God doesn't always want to change our circumstances, but He always seeks to change us. When we study how Jesus handled strife and chaos and follow in His ways, we live in peace. John 1427 says, Peace, I leave with you, my peace I give you.
I do not give you as the world gives, do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. This bringing up His peace, the incarnation of Jesus, was more clearly defined for me this year. About a year ago, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with uterine cancer. I loved my mother-in-law as much as my own mom.
She has taught me so much about Jesus and His ways. She has shown me grace when I didn't deserve it. She has provided a warm and loving place for me to land when life has been too much. I have been praying fervently for a more positive diagnosis.
So that day I went for a long walk through a nearby secluded canyons and yelled out loud at God. Yeah, I yelled at the Almighty. I pleaded with Him to not take her from me yet. My heart, mind and soul were the opposite of peace.
And like that boat lifeline, He suddenly placed Himself between me and going off the deep end. His Holy Spirit stood square in front of me and reminded me that death is not the end. He showed me that when the day comes from my beloved mother-in-law to leave this world, it would be a joyous one for her. You see, she would be reunited with her own mother.
She showed me a picture of the two of them playing their favorite card games and teasing each other and laughing their heads off. And it made me smile. It filled me with joy. I had accepted God's peace.
There's that covenant agreement. He sent His peace on earth in the form of His Son, and I accepted it. I frequently try giving it back, but less and less as I place my trust more firmly in Him, I have peace. The year of 2020 was very difficult for many.
And as a Christian, I grasped a hold of God's lifeline so often to stay in His peace. It's important for us to remember that God wants us to live in today, not yesterday, or in tomorrow. So when people were dreaming blissfully about how much better 2021 was going to be, I thought we make the mistake of missing out on how good God can be for us right now. We miss out on the opportunity to live in His peace.
There has never been a year in the history of the world after Eden where there was not disease, strife, war, death, and pain. And the year we're in now will be no different. But God's promised peace is our lifeline. It will guard our hearts and minds.
No matter the dark seas on either side, we can rest in the knowledge of His love and our eternal salvation. Have a wonderful day.