New Heavens and a New Earth

Read

Isaiah 65:17-25

17 “See, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and take delight in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying
will be heard in it no more.

20 “Never again will there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not live out his years;
the one who dies at a hundred
will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reach[a] a hundred
will be considered accursed.
21 They will build houses and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,
or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,
so will be the days of my people;
my chosen ones will long enjoy
the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain,
nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by the Lord,
they and their descendants with them.
24 Before they call I will answer;
while they are still speaking I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
and dust will be the serpent’s food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord.

Think

The story of our journey with God begins with creation. God made the world, "and it was very good" (Genesis 1:31).

Sin colors our experience of this present world; it surrounds us with harm and destruction. Even those of us who know the gift of salvation in Christ still experience sorrow, mourn lives seemingly cut short, and invest in projects we may never enjoy in this life.

So God calls attention to his work of renewing the creation: "See!" Isaiah's words deliberately echo the creation story of Genesis, but they also move us beyond that story. The ongoing work brings "the kingdom of God" that Jesus preached (Mark 1:15) into ever-greater reality around us.

Our journey with God begins with creation, but it always takes us through the mission of Jesus. And in him, the Spirit helps us see the renewal that God has already begun—not just renewed gifts of health or prosperity, but a peace so complete that all creation is included. This is symbolized by pictures like that of the wolf and the lamb feeding together. As you look for signs of renewal, ask, "How is the creation being cared for? How are the poor and helpless spared from harm? How are the devil's schemes stopped or held at bay?"

Take time this year in your journey with God to look around, marvel at this new creation, and rejoice in the full work of Christ's salvation.

Pray

Father, show us where you are renewing both us and our world by the work of Jesus. Amen.