Joy in front and Peace behind....
“Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”
I love Isaiah chapter 55. I almost printed the entire thing…. This passage speaks of an invitation to abundant life.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”
In my mind, it’s a plea, a proclamation, and a promise.
These verses are a plea—imploring that we call upon the Lord and return to Him while He is near (which indicates that at some point, it might be too late).
These verses are a proclamation that God is merciful and abundantly pardons us for wrongdoings. The words further proclaim that God is not like man—He doesn’t think like us or act like us.
Lastly, these verses are a promise of God’s blessings upon those who honor and obey Him.
“For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”
When we walk in God’s ways He declares that blessings of Joy and Peace will surround us—in front and behind.
Joy and Peace are birds of the same feather. Seek God's perspective, walk in His ways, and experience both. Read Isaiah 55 for yourself.