No peace for the wicked?

Isaiah 57:21 (NIV) "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."

I wondered when I read this verse if there are people who misinterpret it. This verse does not say that the "wicked" will be unsuccessful or unhealthy or unhappy. It says there is no peace. My interpretation is that those who are wicked or evil do not know Jesus and therefore do not know the peace "which transcends all understanding". (Phil 4:7) When bad things happen to them, they feel rage, bitterness, despair. Those who know Jesus, can feel this unfathomable peace when the same bad thing happens to them. This is not to say that they don't feel rage, or bitterness, or despair. But they have hope that comes from the peace of God that brings about release to the captives of rage, bitterness and despair.

Also, this verse does not say that if a person has no peace that they are wicked. Wickedness comes from not knowing or wanting to know God to be a follower. If a person has not been exposed to Christ in a tangible way, they may not be rejecting Him. Rejecting Him would make one wicked, in my opinion.

If a person is a follower, a person has hope that peace will come. A person who knows God and follows God is able to hold God's hand, to feel God's presence, to experience hope when none is apparent. This is peace. Those who are "wicked" are those who do not know and follow God. When they experience trials, illness, heartache, they don't know the hope and peace that comes simply from knowing Him.

I think this verse helps us understand why some people seem stronger in the face of extreme adversity. Those who know and follow Jesus have peace or know they can find it (that's called hope.) But according to Isaiah 57:21 (NIV) "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."

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