Isaiah 30:15-17 New King James Version
15 For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:
“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”
But you would not,
16 And you said, “No, for we will flee on horses”—
Therefore you shall flee!
And, “We will ride on swift horses”—
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift!
17 One thousand shall flee at the threat of one,
At the threat of five you shall flee,
Till you are left as a [a]pole on top of a mountain
And as a banner on a hill.
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
I believe that we need to return and rest.
I used to read this verse as, “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.”
We do need to repent.
Repentance is turning our backs away from sin, but the idea here, from the words chosen, is that repenting is, is our returning; coming home to God.
We repent from sin and return to God.
Repentance is returning.
The idea that Isaiah is speaking against, or the ailment for which he speaks the cure; is doing our own thing and not resting.
And this is a word for believers.
The believers were in trouble.
They needed deliverance.
God gave them a way.
And just as quickly they shouted, “no thanks.”
How can this be and how might we be like this?
- They and we are believers who won’t repent.
- Self-righteous.
- Unbelieving believers.
- We belong to God, but refuse to be transformed.
- We are sheep without a shepherd, gone astray, to our own ways.
- They and we could not and would not, under any circumstance rest.
- We are too busy being obsessed with building our houses, our lives, our selves.
- We are burned out and need renewal.
- We are stale and need refreshing.
- We are spiritually dead and need reviving.
- We don’t, won’t hear God, because we won’t stop and listen long enough.
- We are frustrated God won’t help us build, when He want’s us to let Him build.
- They and we were constant talkers.
- We have an opinion on everything and we are always right and righteous.
- We have lost that listening is loving.
- Our depths of quietness is our iron clad sign of faith.
I want to repent and return to God.
I want to rest.
And I want to be quiet.
But that is not our personality profile-it never has had any influence on my life.
What if we confess that His presence is always available to us, lifting our spirits, restoring our souls and behind the curtains is helping us with power and grace.?
Learning the infinite reaches, very finest art, of “stillness” so we can hear His voice and view ourselves, others and our surroundings through His eyes.
trusting the rhythms of rest
In quietness and trust we find strength: smiling at the comparision to the recent uncertainty in my life, I glanced back. The unpredictability of which way the logs might shift kept me tentative as I crossed over the small stream.
Sometimes the Lord’s object lessons provide the perfect illustration; my experience with the instability of the logs exactly depicted the current state of uncertainty plaguing my life.
quietness and confidence of mind
What does it mean in quietness and confidence is our strength?
It really pays to be quiet and trust God.
It slowly gets you deeper with God, even through more difficult situations.
Thanks be to God for His ministry of quietness and trust and with Christ.
There is this growing, maturing, deep down sensation of confidence, a palpable sensation of inner strength, of Holy Spirit sourced spiritual wellbeing .
Being able to spend more time with Christ without our thoughts wandering from planet to planet and from star to star, galaxy to galaxy and back again.
Perhaps our biggest challenge in uncertain times is starting that education, gaining strength of discipline and achieving a consistent quietness of mind.
Memory testifies to this truth, for an evening, though quite still in our favorite chair, our disquieted mind starts trying to unravel the chaos abiding there.
Culture in general places little value on quietness, rest and trust, especially as it relates to a spiritual posture.
Preferring instead fast paced internet connections, strength and confidence; lauding those who strive, acquire and conquer, obtain those immediate results.
In God’s Kingdom, however, the more we pursue quietness of mind, leaning far into God, the more certainty and confidence we find.
For the effect of His righteousness will be His peace, His Shalom and the result of righteousness, quiet and trust forever. (Isaiah 32:17-20)
Isaiah 32:17-20 The Message
15-20 Yes, weep and grieve until the Spirit is poured
down on us from above
And the badlands desert grows crops
and the fertile fields become forests.
Justice will move into the badlands desert.
Right will build a home in the fertile field.
And where there’s Right, there’ll be Peace
and the progeny of Right: quiet lives and endless trust.
My people will live in a peaceful neighborhood—
in safe houses, in quiet gardens.
The forest of your pride will be clear-cut,
the city showing off your power leveled.
But you will enjoy a fortunate life,
planting well-watered fields and gardens,
with your farm animals grazing freely.
true sources of strength
In times of uncertainty we long for strength and confidence; yet we will seldom work to connect them with periods of quietness, rest and trust. True strength and confidence come when we hammer pause, step back and get clarity buttons.
In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. Isaiah 30:15
Sledge Hammering that Emergency Stop Button
At times when faced with mounting chaos in the form of rapid fire uncertainty, I shift into “slam it shut.” Uncertainty resembles psychological clutter, making us uncomfortable; prompting rushed attempts at removing that same clutter.
In that mounting chaos of uncertainty, hammering away at that Emergency Stop button until it breaks tells you enough is enough of “out of control.”
An intentional pause positions us for hearing instruction from God, strengthening our trust in Him for the unpredictable road ahead.
Embracing rhythms of rest in times of unpredictability, introduces the power of God into the chaos.
Psalm 29
The Voice of the Lord
A psalm of David.
1 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,[a]
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord
in the splendor of his holiness.[b]
3 The voice of the Lord is above the waters.
The God of glory thunders—
the Lord, above the vast water,
4 the voice of the Lord in power,
the voice of the Lord in splendor.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and Sirion, like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord flashes flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth[c]
and strips the woodlands bare.
In his temple all cry, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned, King forever.
11 The Lord gives his people strength;
the Lord blesses his people with peace.
Isaiah 30:15 reminds us in confidence, quietness, trust, we find strength in the power of God through all the promises found in throughout the Word of God.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Praying ….
Psalm 61
Security in God
For the choir director: on stringed instruments. Of David.
1 God, hear my cry;
pay attention to my prayer.
2 I call to you from the ends of the earth
when my heart is without strength.
Lead me to a rock that is high above me,
3 for you have been a refuge for me,
a strong tower in the face of the enemy.
4 I will dwell in your tent forever
and take refuge under the shelter of your wings. Selah
5 God, you have heard my vows;
you have given a heritage
to those who fear your name.
6 Add days to the king’s life;
may his years span many generations.
7 May he sit enthroned before God forever.
Appoint faithful love and truth to guard him.
8 Then I will continually sing of your name,
fulfilling my vows day by day.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 