“They shall not labor in vain, Nor bring forth children for trouble; For they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord, And their offspring with them. . . The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, The lion shall eat straw like the ox, And dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,” Says the Lord” (Isaiah 65:23, 25).
Gracious Heavenly Father, what a picture of peace and pure joy Your word offers us! We long for the day when Your perfect will, will be done on earth, as it is being done in heaven! Until then, by Your grace, we will keep looking up and trusting in Your everlasting mercy. In the blessed Name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
We have come to the end of chapter 65 of Isaiah! A chapter that has allowed us to get a good look at God’s love and tender mercies toward His people. A chapter that has revealed the thoughts God has for us, “thoughts of good and not of evil.” God’s desire is that our future may be spent in His kingdom of love, and that our end, might be one of peace, forevermore! Thank You ABBA!
As I read verse 23, I am sure that the words that warms the heart of every parent are the following: “Nor bring forth children for trouble; Notice also, how He explains the reason for this, “For they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord, And their offspring with them.”
Blessed parent, blessed child! God’s blessings upon the parents would be passed on to their descendants! It is a wonderful, and at the same time, a fearful declaration. God had planned that our offspring would be blessed along with us, and to a great extent, through us!
Beside our love for God, and our wanting to spend eternity in His Presence, what would be a greater reason to walk in the will of God, and be blessed by Him, in order that our children, and their children, would also receive the blessing of the Lord?
This observation is not made with the intention of creating feelings of guilt in parents, but for us to take the necessary responsibility, as parents, to train our children in the way of the Lord, making sure that we have given them the necessary tools to make right decisions. Because ultimately, we will all have to give an account for our actions.
We should never believe it is too late to help our children. If we feel we did not do the best we could have done, do not hesitate to admit your failure to them and ask for their forgiveness. I have had to do this. Our children can be very gracious and merciful to us, when they realize that we are truly sorry for our mistakes when dealing with them. More often than not, they are longing, and willing, for reconciliation to take place! Every effort we can make, is worth making, for an opportunity to spend eternity with them in heaven and in the earth made new!
The entire atmosphere, in God’s tomorrow, will be one of love, harmony and unity! Stop for a moment, and allow your mind to envision the wolf and the lamb standing side by side, eating their bellies full of some healthy greens! No more slaughtering of animals for food! Glory to God!!!
Because the Lamb of God was willing to shed His blood, there will be no need or reason, for anymore blood to be shed in the new earth! No more wars! No more murders! No more slaughtering of God’s creatures to satisfy the selfishness and greed of thoughtless human beings!
Here is one stanza and the refrain of A.H. Ackley’s vision, of “God’s tomorrow”, in song!
“God’s tomorrow is a day of gladness,
And its joys shall never fade;
No more weeping, no more sense of sadness,
No more foes to make afraid.
Refrain:
God’s tomorrow, God’s tomorrow,
Ev’ry cloud will pass away
At the dawning of that day;
God’s tomorrow,
No more sorrow,
For I know that God’s tomorrow
Will be better than today!”
Dearest friends, God is preparing a new heaven and a new earth for you and me, because He loves us! Nothing on this earth will be able to compare with the glories that await us. May God help us to count the cost, and by His grace, decide, that nothing, or no one, will keep us from being there!!!
NOTE: A few corrections have been made to this devotional.