Peace Like a River

As a professor, I stressed the importance of following directions, yet each year I had students who came to me in a panic because they had been penalized for neglecting the guidelines stated in the course syllabus. In the text listed above, God reveals that he too teaches the importance of observing his divine directives.

“This is what the Lord says-your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river.”

If we as Christ-followers want peace like a river in our souls, then it is imperative that we pay attention to the Master-Teacher. His syllabus for the Course in Christian Living is the Word of God, and course requirements are stated very clearly. So, pay attention and the result will be peace, not panic. In 1970 I was in my final year of study at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. I had been asked to fill the pulpit for a church in Chicago. Their response to my preaching was positive, yet I had not been asked to candidate for the pastoral position. I became concerned as graduation was drawing closer. However, quite unexpectedly I received a call from a denominational official who asked if I would consider ministering as an instructor at the Jamaica Theological Seminary in Kingston, Jamaica. When I asked the caller if my wife and I would pray about the invitation, he said, “Yes, we will give you one week.” As I hung up the phone, my wife saw the puzzled look on my face and inquired about the conversation. When I shared the news she smiled and said, “I’m ready, I always thought I might eventually serve on the mission field.” To us the answer was clear and we served peacefully for four years.