I am begging you. You need to buy, rent, or borrow from a friend Francine River’s The Mark of the Lion trilogy. Nothing else has so shaped my understanding of the New Testament and our culture like it. I know. Big claims. But let’s face it. No one writes like Francine Rivers.
You don’t even necessarily need to read the 3rd book in my opinion. And you have to muscle through the first several chapters of historical Roman context in the first book. But after that, look out. You better carve out some serious hunker down time. Love it. (Unless all that stuff I just wrote would give you such high expectations that the only result is them crashing to the ground. In which case don’t expect much.)
The words running through my head today are these:
Isaiah 48:17,18: 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, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
“The key to peace is authority. When we allow the Prince of Peace to govern our lives, peace either immediately or ultimately results. Sometimes when we finally give up trying to discover all the answers to the “why’s” in our lives and decide to trust a sovereign God, unexpected peace washes over us like a summer rain…
If a few of us were completely honest, we might admit to thinking of peaceful people as boring and a breath from death. ‘I really want to live! I’d rather forego peace and have an exciting life!’ we say.
Beloved, few bodies of water are more exciting than rivers! When was the last time you saw white-water rapids? We can have active, exciting lives without suffering through a life of turmoil.
When God used the analogy of a river, He described a peace that can be retained while life twists and turns and rolls over boulders. Let’s resist picturing peaceful people as expressionless monks. To have peace like a river is to have security and tranquility of heart and mind while meeting many bumps and unexpected turns on life’s journey. Peace is submission to Authority, not resignation from all activity. Remember, however, that any activity that cannot be brought under the umbrella of God’s authority will prove to be a source of turmoil and exhaustion.”
– Beth Moore’s Breaking Free. Only has The Patriarchs: Encountering the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob touched my life as much as that Bible Study. Okay, and the Mark of the Lion triolgy 🙂 And a few other books. Leave me alone.