Isaiah 11:6-9 (NLT)
“In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all. The cow will graze near the bear. The cub and the calf will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm. Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord.”
God has a way with animals, and he has big plans for restoring the lives of animals in his newly restored heaven and earth. We don’t often think about the impact of sin on animals, but if you pause to think about it you realize how oppressive sin really is. Animals were innocent victims when Adam and Eve brought a curse on the world, and God has not forgotten them. More animals were saved with Noah in the flood than humans! God’s tender care of animals (the first task he gave to humans as well) is a demonstration of his loving faithfulness to those who cannot care for themselves.
There are no predators or prey in heaven. There is a constant peace in every way in God’s kingdom. And when the Spirit of God is fully present, animals do some strange things. Balaam’s donkey talked when he encountered an angel. The lions did not eat Daniel when God’s Spirit came for a supernatural rescue. God says in these verses that “nothing will hurt or destroy” in his dwelling place. Just imagine a world in which nothing can hurt or destroy you or anything you love again.
Right now we live in a cursed world full of danger. We are called to be a light, and the Holy Spirit’s power is greater than Satan’s. But that doesn’t mean Satan can’t rob us or hurt us, which he does every day around the world. People are hurt and abused, relationships destroyed — this is the handiwork of Satan and the fruit of his kingdom. In God’s kingdom you will be eternally safe. No one can hurt you anymore. We may find some safe spaces here on earth, but I look forward to the day when I dwell in a place where safety is an eternal guarantee. As we wait for that day with hope and expectation, we can each bring the kingdom of God into this earth by being a safe person for someone else. Use this Advent season to be a refuge for the people in your life.