“The work of righteousness will be peace and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings and in quiet resting places.” Isaiah 32:17-18 NKJV
Peace, quietness, and assurance forever – that is hard to imagine, particularly at present times. Not a single day passes without an article in the paper or a story on social media that indicates an individual or a group of people being disgruntled about something. Even our local churches have been brought into the headlines of conflict.
I would go so far to say that in regards to peace, quietness, and assurance, you cannot have one without the other. And perhaps it could be argued that the foundation of all three would be assurance. The absence of assurance appears to bring out fear, uncertainty, and uproar. Maybe even chaos. Due to Covid-19, our city’s guidelines for social gatherings and even shopping for that matter, changes every two weeks and sometimes even sooner than that. It is difficult to plan ahead as the uncertainty in knowing the future is so unpredictable.
Thankfully, we as believers in Christ have assurance of peace for eternity with our Heavenly Father. I am reminded of Jeremiah 17:7 – “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence”.
I believe the main point in that verse is making the Lord our hope and our confidence. In our search for peace, quietness, and assurance, may we remember to place our hope and confidence not in ourselves or the things that surround us, but solely in the Lord.
Lock Your Wings 
Good thoughts.
This stood out for me: “For your land will be overgrown with thorns and briers. Your joyful homes and happy towns will be gone.”
Isaiah 32:13 NLT
When you leave things be, that’s when nature takes over. Even the most developed land has the potential to become overgrown and reclaimed by wilderness. The weeds push through pavement, moss grows in the most inhospitable places, and seeds take root wherever there is soil. When we don’t weed or trim or take care of our land we are subject to the thorns and briers. Such is also true in our lives: when we don’t weed out the things that keep us from God, or trim from our lives the things without lasting value, or take care of each other we can also be subject to destruction. Upkeep is so important.
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