Lion and the Lamb
Isaiah 11:6 The wolf will romp with the lamb, the leopard sleep with the kid. Calf and lion will eat from the same trough, and a little child will tend them.
:7 Cow and bear will graze the same pasture, their calves and cubs grow up together, and the lion eat straw like the ox.
:8 The nursing child will crawl over rattlesnake dens, the toddler stick his hand down the hole of a serpent.
:9 Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill on my holy mountain. The whole earth will be brimming with knowing God-Alive, a living knowledge of God ocean-deep, ocean-wide.
What you know it pretty important, but who you know is a whole other level of significance altogether. It’s good to memorize and drill and study and cram, but more effective than any of those in actually moving towards becoming productive with that knowledge and being motivated to acquiring more, is an experience with the author of the book. To ‘hang out’ with someone is to be affected and transformed by who they are, to be influenced by them in preferences and perspectives, and to actually take on their identity. You can usually tell which of their friends a child has just been playing with based upon their attitude, their passion, and the image they’re attempting to portray. They’re affected by their most frequented friendships in how they dress, choice of pastimes, and perspectives on scholastic and career accomplishments.
There are many in our world today who’s knowledge of God has led them to believe that He must be removed from our publicly funded educational process and governmental functions. Of all the dangerous influences in our society, the one knowledge that is most offensive and to be most kept from innocent little minds is any awareness about the One who created them in His image. This, after all, could forever damage their vulnerable little hearts and keep them from making all the important decisions in life completely free from influence by the One who wrote the book. They would make us believe that to ‘offend’ in the least by exposure to the slightest God reference would be so much worse than even the destruction of life before its chance to take its first breathe.
Perception of life and establishing the ability to live it to its fullest, (which should be the goal and purpose of education and government), have obviously been limited to the ‘what you know’ category when it comes to God involvement. There may be a level to which we can rise within this limited realm of awareness, but getting to an ultimate objective of peace and productivity will require the very knowledge that is being presented as ‘dangerous’. Until the Inspiration, the Motivation, and the Introduction to real life is allowed to influence by more than merely an amendment to be ostracized, there can be no arrival at the lofty educational and governmental goals that only a ‘hang out’ knowledge of Him can bring.
There is a place and a time when the lion will lay down with the lamb and the child will be free from any fears or inhibitions to accomplish his/her fulfilled purpose. This place and time will always be waiting, though, on the other side of a knowledge that only God’s very presence can bring. It will only come by the kind of knowledge that fills places and worlds with an overwhelming influence of greatness. Only when all, like children, are allowed go ‘play’ with God, to be affected in perception, passion, preference, image, inspiration, and motivation by hanging out with Him will there be the kind of world that the word ‘peaceful’ would rightly describe. Jesus is the Prince of Peace and it will be by His influence and exposure to His perfection alone that progress will be made towards His designed place of peace and productivity.
While there is a time to come when Jesus will reign over all hearts and therefore governments, there is an influence that He can bring right here and right now. When included in every moment and allowed to cover the whole of our life as the water covers the sea, God awareness will bring peace to homes and confidence and security to every area of our life, no matter the circumstances and no matter how great the opposition. As He is allowed to participate in areas of life that even we as Christians have disallowed Him, He will faithfully bring His eternal life of fulfilled purpose and blessing. Knowledge of Him is so much more than just knowing about Him, it’s being completely transformed by an experience with Him that is deeply personal and all inclusive. In this kind of knowing Him there is a peace that will far surpass any other understanding and a life that will never want for fulfillment.
