Shalom, Shalom

I think we can all agree that there is a lot going on in the world around us. Right now that looks like a national state of emergency, fear of sickness, and not enough toilet paper. You can feel the tension in the air. Even when we aren't all panicking about the same thing, there is some sort of drama or anxiety going around. If you are anything like me, you might think about the scary things way too hard. There's got to be some sort of solution right? And there might be, but often there's not.

Isaiah prophesied to the Israelites that they would be conquered and go into exile... again. Shortly following that in scripture, he prophesied the destruction of the Earth. But even as they go through exile and anticipate the apocalypse, the people are still left with a message of hope.The Lord will make all things new, freeing his people from bondage once and for all.

Following the message of hope is a song of praise. Praising God for something that they have not seen yet, but something they know He is going to do. That song, Isaiah 26, contains a couple hope filled verses that continue to bring hope today.

The more we focus on the Lord the more often we are reminded how big He is. Even when the world is a whirlwind of panic, aggression, and fear the Lord is never changing. His plan is steadfast. He, the creator of everything from the tiny bugs to the loud thunder, loves us. He wants us to trust that He has everything under control. And when we do, we will have peace.

"Perfect peace" was translated from "Shalom, shalom" repeated to communicate the intensity of the meaning. We're talking Peace so big that we cannot understand it. Peace so big, it doesn't make sense in our circumstances.

When we find ourselves in less than ideal situations, it can be easy to get consumed by our worries. We cannot forget to look to the Lord. He is the only thing that never changes, an He wants us to trust Him. "You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock." (Isaiah 26:3-4)