Peace Through His Forgiveness and Grace

Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Isaiah 38:17, ” Indeed it was for my own peace that I had great bitterness; but You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back. “

Background

I heard a guy yesterday rhetorically ask himself what he would do differently if he could redo his breakfast from the day before. He wasn’t so much talking about the food he had eaten, but rather the manner in which he had handled an unexpected turn of events. It seems that he was having breakfast with his kids in a rather public setting, and just about the time that he decided to lead them in a devotion, a stranger came up and sat down next to them. Startled and caught off guard, the dad fumbled his way through some verses as the gentleman rested next to them, alternating between staring straight ahead and glancing over at their family huddle. Unfortunately, he said, no effort was made to engage the unknown guest, and the angst of the situation led him to give what he called the world’s worst devotion.

Application

Later that day, I was talking with an old friend of mine, and we were discussing his job and the many twists and turns that had led him to where he is now. Some huge mistakes had been made some years ago and many dark months had passed, bringing with them an emptiness and a loneliness that pushed him away from God. But in the Lord’s perfect design, after years of wondering and worry, my friend is now in a wonderful place in his life, enjoying his delightful family and working in an environment that is satisfying and for a man who has forgiven his past and considers it no more. He does not spend one moment wondering what might have been or regretting what he should have done. He is many things now, and the greatest of them is that he is at peace. Oh, he may be caught off guard by a stranger and blow an opportunity from God like the other guy did, but no daily stumble can rob him of what God has filled him with. The peace that he has comes from the washing of complete forgiveness and unconditional acceptance. It abides where God intends it to dwell in each of us, right where our guilt and failures bellow the loudest. But His peace has the final word. His peace says it is finished.

Charge

As we seek Him today, find rest in the assurance that your past has been taken care of, and your future is in His hands. And if you struggle to find peace, remember His forgiveness and grace.