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,
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! Isaiah 30:15-16
In speaking to the Jewish people, Isaiah was addressing the Assyrian invasion and how they could confront it. He told them that the strategy for confronting the Assyrians needed to be returning to the Lord and resting in Him. Their strength was going to come from surrendering themselves to the Lord. In their surrendered state, they would be faced with the majesty and the greatness of God, and this would build their confidence. Their confidence in the Lord would give them the strength to withstand the attacks of the enemy, and God would respond to them.
Our cultural expectation is that strong people are action-oriented and that they are willing to fight any battle. The problem with that mindset is that we can an idolize natural strength or talent and believe that victory is only possible when we are advancing and taking action.
In the above passage, the Lord instructed and admonished the Jewish people that their strategy for success was going to be in looking to Him and retiring from their self-efforts. This time, instead of fighting or blowing their trumpets for victory, they were supposed to be quiet! They were going to gain their strength in surrendering themselves into the hands of God.
When babies haven’t had a nap all day, they get so tired that they are besides themselves. They become restless and are in nonstop and erratic motion. In this state, it is hard to comfort them. As loving parents, we would try to put the baby’s head on our chest and help the baby to calm down and rest. In this rest, the baby regains her strength, and her body lets go of the tension and the stress of being restless. When she regains her strength, her emotions are settled, and she is a lot happier and more peaceful.
Similarly, the Lord is speaking to us through the above scriptures. To regain our strength, we need to be quiet! We need to be intentional in the midst of all our busyness and activities. We have to find this quietness when our flesh screams that we have to do more. This rest and quietness will refresh us and strengthen us to fight the battles His way!
I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.
Such a timely reminder. Well written, Min. Karline.
Praise God! Thank you Michelle.