Changed in the Waiting
Nothing Will Hurt or Destroy
December 23, 2024
SCRIPTURE
ISAIAH 11
In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;
the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.
The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,
and a little child will lead them all.
The cow will graze near the bear.
The cub and the calf will lie down together.
The lion will eat hay like a cow.
The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.
Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest
of deadly snakes without harm.
Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
for as the waters fill the sea,
so the earth will be filled with people who know the LORD.
—ISAIAH 11:6-9 (NLT)
ISAIAH 11
In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;
the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.
The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,
and a little child will lead them all.
The cow will graze near the bear.
The cub and the calf will lie down together.
The lion will eat hay like a cow.
The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.
Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest
of deadly snakes without harm.
Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
for as the waters fill the sea,
so the earth will be filled with people who know the LORD.
—ISAIAH 11:6-9 (NLT)
When it comes to embracing God’s shalom vision of peace on earth, our greatest obstacle might just be our inability to imagine it. Maybe that’s why Isaiah wrote about it in poetry, a language better suited to stirring imagination than giving instructions.
The prophet-poet paints a picture that is both shocking and beautiful of safety and belonging for all amidst a vast array of differences and would-be enemies. I tend to assume that peace comes as a result of sameness, which seems to be a common human assumption. This is probably why we tend to gather in likeminded groups and create boundaries to keep ourselves separate from those who are different, But God’s vision of peaceful community is not one of uniformity and segmentation.
Instead, Isaiah describes a place where all creatures have full access to all parts of Ged’s holy mountain. No one gets to claim territory or parcel out pieces of land for themselves. Instead, belonging is extended equally to all who are present. Isaiah’s vision shows us what it looks like when, to borrow Paul’s words written centuries later, the walls of hostility that once maintained divisions have been torn down (see Ephesians 2:14). Without hostility or division, there is a complete lack of violence—everyone on God’s mountain even seems to enjoy one another! Each creature values and protects the others, from the strongest to the most vulnerable.
This picture seems so far from the realm of possibility that I don’t have the capacity to imagine it on my own. But as I spend time with these words, my imagination expands, and] begin to recognize and long for the kind of peace God has in mind. Situations that may once have felt chaotic or unfamiliar instead become the very places where I see God’s kingdom showing up on earth as it is in heaven.
My years in recovery ministry taught me a little about this kind of peace. Women and men from every conceivable walk of life gathered weekly in a shared commitment of honesty, safety, and trust. No one was the same, but all were united in a shared need of God and readiness for transformation. The peace experienced in that space was an active, often messy peace that birthed numerous stories of wholeness, healing, belonging, and restoration in our community. God's kingdom of peace is made real on earth wherever the church of Jesus Christ gathers in our full, glorious diversity as our differences are equally valued and celebrated.
Isaiah’s poem ends by giving the closest thing to instructions a poet can provide: God's vision of peace is made possible because all people know God. Somehow, when we fully know the God of peace—the God who creates safety and belonging for all—we will be at peace with one another too.
May our imaginations expand to dream God’s dream, and may God's dream be realized in us.
The prophet-poet paints a picture that is both shocking and beautiful of safety and belonging for all amidst a vast array of differences and would-be enemies. I tend to assume that peace comes as a result of sameness, which seems to be a common human assumption. This is probably why we tend to gather in likeminded groups and create boundaries to keep ourselves separate from those who are different, But God’s vision of peaceful community is not one of uniformity and segmentation.
Instead, Isaiah describes a place where all creatures have full access to all parts of Ged’s holy mountain. No one gets to claim territory or parcel out pieces of land for themselves. Instead, belonging is extended equally to all who are present. Isaiah’s vision shows us what it looks like when, to borrow Paul’s words written centuries later, the walls of hostility that once maintained divisions have been torn down (see Ephesians 2:14). Without hostility or division, there is a complete lack of violence—everyone on God’s mountain even seems to enjoy one another! Each creature values and protects the others, from the strongest to the most vulnerable.
This picture seems so far from the realm of possibility that I don’t have the capacity to imagine it on my own. But as I spend time with these words, my imagination expands, and] begin to recognize and long for the kind of peace God has in mind. Situations that may once have felt chaotic or unfamiliar instead become the very places where I see God’s kingdom showing up on earth as it is in heaven.
My years in recovery ministry taught me a little about this kind of peace. Women and men from every conceivable walk of life gathered weekly in a shared commitment of honesty, safety, and trust. No one was the same, but all were united in a shared need of God and readiness for transformation. The peace experienced in that space was an active, often messy peace that birthed numerous stories of wholeness, healing, belonging, and restoration in our community. God's kingdom of peace is made real on earth wherever the church of Jesus Christ gathers in our full, glorious diversity as our differences are equally valued and celebrated.
Isaiah’s poem ends by giving the closest thing to instructions a poet can provide: God's vision of peace is made possible because all people know God. Somehow, when we fully know the God of peace—the God who creates safety and belonging for all—we will be at peace with one another too.
May our imaginations expand to dream God’s dream, and may God's dream be realized in us.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION, DISCUSSION, AND PRAYER
How does Isaiah’s vision challenge or confirm your own imagination for peace?
Where have you seen God's vision of peace in a community of belonging and safety amidst great diversity?
What barriers keep you from being at peace with those who are different from you?
How does Isaiah’s vision challenge or confirm your own imagination for peace?
Where have you seen God's vision of peace in a community of belonging and safety amidst great diversity?
What barriers keep you from being at peace with those who are different from you?