“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).
A pattern that we see in the people of the Old Testament is their stubbornness, dis-obedience and constant rebellion against God. These are common traits that are reflected in our faith journey and relationship with God as well.
To give some context and background to the verse above, as assuring and encouraging as it may sound, the tone of the earlier part of the chapter is quite serious. Even as God reprimanded His people and reminded them concerning the severity of their rebellion, His grace was shown in the later part of the passage.
This particular passage also sheds light on our cold and hard hearts towards God. Despite those times when we deliberately ran away from God or shut Him out, He never failed to find us.
There were times when my heart was troubled and I tried to fill my mind and heart with unnecessary distractions. But once those voices and noises faded away, I was in the void. In my stillness and quietness, God found me and I could hear Him again.
“O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.” (Psalm 131).
Tricia Chen
