stephen R Harrison

JOY 365: Day 26

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace. – Isaiah 55:12

I lost some of you with that title. How could there be joy in shoveling…anything? The sleet storm we had covered the ground with a thick, heavy ice that was not going to melt away easily, especially with the subfreezing temperatures. I shoveled for two days to clear our driveway because I knew we would need to leave the house soon for work, school, shopping, etc. As I shoveled, I thought of Isaiah 55:10-11 because it has the word “snow” in it. It says, 

“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” 

The snow was a form of moisture that watered the earth and provided nourishment that would sustain and produce life. This was an example of how God’s Word accomplishes what it’s sent out to do – sustain and produce life! The Word is alive through the Spirit and provides life-giving nourishment for all who take it in. While the snow/sleet may not have seemed very profitable in the moment of shoveling, it would bear fruit. What leapt off the page was verse 12 – “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace.” I admit, I was a little “grouchy” at first shoveling, but this empowered me towards the joy of the Lord. I listened to Scripture as I continued to shovel. What joy! What peace!

How does God’s Word bring joy and peace to your life?