Isaiah 30:15; 18 (NIV)
15 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.”
18 Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
A friend recently shared verses with me from Isaiah 30 and I would like to pause there today.
The Lord invites us into a posture of repentance and rest, quietness and trust (see Isaiah 30:15).
Isaiah 30:15 ends by declaring to Israel, “…but you would have none of it.” The verses that follow give an account to what Israel instead chooses as well as the consequences of their choice (see Isaiah 30:16-17). I encourage you to read more of the surrounding verses in this passage and see what the Lord causes to stand out to you.
As we read here, do we see ourselves and our response to God at times? Why is it that we run to other things? Why do we allow ourselves to be distracted or even seek after distraction?
For example, have you ever sensed the nudge of the Holy Spirit inviting you to slow down and take time to pause with Him? Meanwhile, maybe you are caught up in the latest whatever on your social media newsfeed or perhaps determined to let yourself be increasingly spun up about an anxious thought that has its hold on you.
These are simply a couple of examples of, “…but you would have none of it.” Perhaps you can think of some more.
This morning, I was struck by the beauty of the sunrise. I paused and tried to receive it as a beautiful gift from God. No sooner had I paused that a task came to mind and I stepped out of the room to go attend to it. In hindsight, I think I needed to pause there more with God.
It’s easy to become spun up about something. It’s easy to let yourself be distracted by errands or to do’s or … whatever it is. It requires intention to pause … to slow … and rest with Jesus. It also requires intention to walk with Him in this posture throughout the day. Resting in Him in the midst of … whatever it is.
I am thankful that the Lord longs to be gracious to us and that He will show us compassion (see Isaiah 30:18).
Let’s wait for Him today. Instead of rushing forward with something, let’s pause now with Jesus and His word and listen for His voice and His direction.
I wanted to share these songs with you as you pause with Jesus today in worship and prayer.
The Lord bless you!
Ephesians 3:20-21
