Pleasant Stone Devotional Meditation: September 9

"in righteousness shalt thou be established; thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.” ~ Isaiah 54:14

“BLESSED ar they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be fulfilled.” If you are hungry, the only thing to do is eat. If you’re thirsty the only thing to do is drink.

Blessed are those who know this and who believe the supply is always more than the need. But blessed also, said Jesus, are those who just keep on hungering and thirsting after righteousness, because unless we are hungry and unless we are thirsty, all the food and drink in the world will do us no good.

Dr. Fritz Kunkel calls this beatitude the “hunger riot” of the soul. If you are driven to a reckless search for more righteousness, rejoice! If you cry out, “O God, feed me I’m starving to death!” --- rejoice. He will fill “the hungry with good things.” But only the hungry.

And if you are so hungry the pain is intense at times, sing out with your joy at what we see in this “green stone” verse at the top of this page, because here God promises that “In righteousness shalt thou be established.” And the more we are filled with God’s righteousness, the more immune we are to oppression, fear and terror of any kind.

Christ literally became sin for us on the Cross, and when we believe that He does everything perfectly and completely, this very knowledge gives us great rest. We shall be “far off” from oppression, fear and terror --- wrapped in His righteousness.

“For he hath made him to be sin for, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him … In righteousness shalt thou be established.