Quiet and Trust are Your Strength
“For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.””
Isaiah 30:15
It’s been a rough week with plenty of warfare and the crazy from Long Covid symptoms churning in the pot. With the neurological effects of LC there are times when my mind can spin a bit. The stress from several situations was in the mix, and, someone backed up into my car while it was parked. The hit on the car was minor, just one more thing to deal with. I’m sure you’ve had days or weeks like that.
I haven’t even touched the insane asylum we’re living in. Look at the news for more than a minute and it won’t be long before a white room with nice, soft, pillowed walls sounds good.
In the midst of this, as I was trying to figure out how to navigate the crazy, God reminded me in that barely discernable, oh-so-quiet voice of His to rest and trust. Isaiah 30:15 came to mind.
“For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
‘In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.’”
Be quiet. Be still. Trust Me. Don’t try to figure it out.
The churning quieted. Rest. Peace. Okay, back to walking with You. Show me the way.
The first two verses of Isaiah 30 begin with God’s warning to His people not to freak out and go back to Egypt for protection.
“Ah, stubborn children,” declares the Lord,
“who carry out a plan, but not mine,
and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit,
that they may add sin to sin;
who set out to go down to Egypt,
without asking for my direction,
to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh
and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!”
Verse 6 describes their current environment as “Through a land of trouble and anguish, from where come the lioness and the lion, the adder and the flying fiery serpent.” Things were so bad His people have been panicking, even to the point of wanting nothing to do with God.
“For they are a rebellious people,
lying children,
children unwilling to hear
the instruction of the Lord;
who say to the seers, “Do not see,”
and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right;
speak to us smooth things,
prophesy illusions,
leave the way, turn aside from the path,
let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”
As with the people of Isaiah’s day, God mercifully invites us to be still, rest, turn from our sin, and trust Him. Quit trying to figure the future out, what He’s doing, or how it will all come together (or fall apart). He’s big enough and has promised to take care of us. Take one step, one day at time with Him.
For many, resting in silence is a lost art; not their go to when times get hard. Freaking out, anger, bitterness, or complaining are their default. Those are faith killers. Slow down and listen for Him. Wait on Him. He has you where you are in this time in history for a reason. Remember to lock on to the eternal, which is far more powerful than what we can see. Meaning, God is infinitely bigger than our problems or what we can see.
In verses 18-21 of Isaiah, the Lord reveals His heart.
“Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him. O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you. Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.”
When life goes bozo it’s easy to forget God and fall off the rails. He is near, with us, waiting, for us to calm down, listen, and trust Him.
