Isaiah 2

War and peace. No, not the book title; the two things people are constantly headed toward. Either we are moving toward war or we are moving toward peace. Sometimes, in this sinful world, it’s difficult to know when (or if) war is appropriate. Some people believe it is never needed; others believe certain situations warrant it. Certainly, the Bible presents situations in which God allowed or sent His people to war.

However, in the midst of this warring world, God has also given us glimpses of a time and place where there will be no more war, such as the picture painted in this chapter of Isaiah: “Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” (vs 3-4)

What a beautiful promise! How wonderful to imagine a time when the Lord will reign over the Earth and people will seek Him out for the solutions to their problems. How wonderful to imagine a time when fighting will no longer be what we resort to—even a last resort! I think there is a part of each of us that longs for that kind of peace.

But, I don’t think we need to wait. For Isaiah went on to say, “Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.” (vs 5) Yes, right now. We don’t have to wait until the Lord’s temple is established on the mountain. We don’t have to wait until God Himself is reigning on Earth in the flesh. We don’t have to wait until all peoples decide to get on board the peace train. We can choose to walk in the light of the Lord right now.

God’s peace starts now. It’s not something we have to wait for. Oh, that doesn’t mean we won’t still encounter war and conflict—especially from others who are not yet ready to walk in the light! But it means that we can choose to live our lives here and now believing that God is in control and that He will do all He says He’s going to do.

When we live our life with that mindset, it really doesn’t matter if we get caught up in the middle of a war. We can still experience the peace of God today as we walk in His light. Why would we want to spend today in any other way?