I desire to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart. Psalm 40:8.

Do not let any part of your bodies become tools of wickedness, to be used for sinning; but give yourselves completely to God – every part of you – for you are back from death and you want to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for His good purposes. Romans 6:13 TLB.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 NRSV.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 ESV.

I love this chapter, Isaiah 27, and it begins with a promise…In that day…In that day, the Lord will punish with His sword – His fierce, great and powerful sword – Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; He will slay the monster of the sea. In that day – “Sing about a fruitful vineyard: I, the Lord, watch over it; I water it continually. I guard it day and night so that no one may harm it. I am not angry. If only there were briers and thorns confronting me! I would march against them in battle; I would set them all on fire. Or else…let them come to Me for refuge; let them make peace with Me, yes, let them make peace with Me.” v. 1-5. In the notes below it says that In that day refers to the end of the evil world as we know it…the end of evil. In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit. Has the Lord struck her as He struck down those who struck her? Has she been killed as those were killed who killed her? By warfare and exile You contend with her – with His fierce blast He drives her out, as on a day the east wind blows. By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned for, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin: When He makes all the altar stones to be like limestone crushed to pieces, no Asherah poles or incense altars will be left standing. v. 6-9. Does that not remind you of today with what is going on in Israel and the surrounding nations? For this is a people without understanding; so their Maker has no compassion on them, and their Creator shows them no favor. In that day the Lord will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, Israel, will be gathered up one by one. And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem. v. 11-13.

Last night on PBS News, a young Israeli woman who had been one of the hostages held by Hamas, spoke about her experience. At one point as she tried to say the words, her face crumpled as she tried to maintain composure, and she shared what was difficult to admit…that, in her words, she hadn’t done anything meaningful. My heart broke watching her. She wanted to live so she could do something meaningful. She found her voice – and she was speaking out for the remaining hostages. Does her life have meaning? Does yours? Does mine? Listen to Isaiah…In days to come…Jacob will take root…Israel will bud and blossom…and fill all the world with fruit. All we see today is destruction, lies, hate, violence, despair. No one is untouched. The fruit of life lived in a broken world influenced by evil. That is this day. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21. But in that day…But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23. There is the love of Creator God – Father…Son…Spirit, and our love for Him; and in Him, our love for one another. Can we listen to our Father? He is not angry. He loves us so much He gave Himself for us and it is His love that heals us and brings light into the darkness of our hearts and in His light we know peace. Yes, the world in this day will still be at war. Keep your eyes on God. Our lives have meaning and our pain will be redeemed and healed because we are the children of Almighty Creator God. And He loves us! He will be your strength and protection and light to understanding. Death will not be the end.