Forever Increasing

Isaiah 9:7: “There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace.”

Observation: The people of God had been plundered, scattered and defeated; impoverished, left without hope. But Isaiah prophesied of a time of restoration and deliverance for them, not just the deliverance of the nation of physical Israel, but also looking ahead to when Christ would come to establish His kingdom upon the earth. It is in that context that Isaiah said, “There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace.”

Application: This is one of those verses that is simply beyond my finite mind’s ability to understand. Imagine a small child quietly holding a flower close to her face to better examine its minute facets, in awe of the details, the colors, the fragile construction, yet at the end not understanding the whole of it any better than at the beginning. So it is with this verse for me. 

I can certainly imagine the Lord Jesus Christ establishing His government. After all, He is all-powerful, able to defeat every foe, and well able to manage all the details required to finally reign and rule. I can even imagine Him doing this for a very long time, perhaps even through eternity. In much the same way, utter, complete, perfect peace can be envisioned. After all, don’t I experience moments of great peacefulness even now when conditions are just right? And don’t I long for such moments to continue forever? Yes, I suppose He is a Lord mighty enough to cause such peace to be our eternal condition.  

But this simple verse promises far more than just a government that lasts forever or peace that knows no end. Rather, this verse describes a perfect government and peace that will keep increasing forever. There will be no end to the increase of these things! If that concept isn’t absolutely mind-bending, then we weren’t paying attention! Our new life, His life in us, as wonderful as it is and will be is just the beginning of the beginning. It never stops, and it never stops increasing!  Infinitely expanding. 

That’s the journey He has us on. He doesn’t just promise a wonderful destination which, once arrived at, we can take off our coat and hat and settle back into a heavenly recliner, as pleasant as that might be. No! He has far more than that to show us, infinitely, ever-increasingly more. Simply amazing.

Prayer: O Lord, thank You for even the faintest glimpses You give of Your majesty, Your power, Your glory. No wonder Isaiah fell on his face when he saw You. Help me today, Lord, to pause long enough, to be still enough, to better understand all that You have in store for me. I am in awe of You, Lord.

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[David V]

I can go days, maybe even sometimes weeks without really connecting personally with a devotional. And then one comes through that is exactly the right message from the Father for today. And today's was just that.

Over the last few days our developmentally disabled granddaughter has been experiencing severe agitation and self injuries behaviors resulting in severe physical injuries. It has been so painful experiencing this happening, even though severely mentally disabled the deep emotional pain she is experiencing, and then our daughter and her husband's pain of dealing with this, "when will this every end? Will it go on for years?" And this mornings devotional brought back to me the promise that this is all very temporary, and beyond this life, which will be behind us so quickly, we will be free of these tortures and pains, and perhaps they will not even be in our memory banks.

I've shared this with my daughter and husband expecting it will also be a solace for them today also.

Blessings . . .