Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
This morning, I thought I’d encourage you with some verses from the prophet Isaiah. We find them in Isaiah 30, where the Lord’s prophet is scolding the Israelites for turning to foreign nations for aid (Egypt in this case), rather than trusting in Yahweh alone, and waiting for Him to act in judgment and salvation (you might want to take some time today to read the entire chapter).
The verses I am about to share with you became very meaningful and personal to me just the other day, early one morning. In a moment of trepidation over our current circumstances (all of the unknowns associated with our inability to gather together, the nature of the threat that hovers over us, and questions as to what life and the service of our Lord will be like going forward), I turned to these inspired words.
I knew to go here, to this particular place in Isaiah, because I had been given these verses by my mother many years ago as a little boy. It seems that anxiety has been an unwelcome companion to me for most of my life. As I read them afresh the other morning, I was immediately convicted and then comforted.
Like ancient Israel, we too are in the midst of a crisis. Because we are not only citizens of our Lord’s heavenly Kingdom, but citizens of the ‘city of man,’ our lives have been deeply impacted by the world’s response to the pandemic. We have once again experienced the very thing that our Lord spoke of when He said that our Father, “ makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45).
Whether all of this is grossly overblown or tragically underplayed (only time will tell for sure), we are at the mercy of those who are making decisions on our behalf. Obviously, this is far from simply a matter of public health. As we see played out on the nightly news, this crisis is terribly (and unnecessarily) complicated by a host of political agendas, some more noble than others.
And, in the meantime, we are all very antsy! We long to be back together. We want things to return to some degree of normalcy. We are very uncomfortable with having to wait for decisions to be made, and having to delay making plans for our futures, knowing full well that the machinations of global politics are in the driver’s seat. The rhythm of our lives has been thrown off, and we are not exactly sure what we must do about all of this, but do something we must, at least we think!
And with all of this, temptation, ever slippery and crafty as it is, makes its subtle appearance.
In speaking for myself first and foremost, the specific temptation I face is that of focusing only upon the relief that I so fervently desire. And while wanting relief is not wrong in itself, “ sin is crouching at the door” (Genesis 4:7). The sin is in placing my concentration upon what should be done (by someone!) to provide a way out of the crisis, rather than giving prayerful consideration to the higher purposes that our Father has wisely designed for this time of adversity. Let me show you what I mean.
In Isaiah 30:15 we find this heavenly Word, delivered by Isaiah to the Covenant people in the midst of their afflictions:
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.”
Then, in Isaiah 30:18 the Lord says this:
Therefore, the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.
In verse 15, the Israelites were summoned to return to the Lord, forsaking their search for relief “ in the shadow of Egypt” (v.2). That is, they were to repent of their sins that were being exposed by their difficulties. Then, the prophet exhorted them to find their “ rest” only in their God, and to live each and every moment “ in quietness and trust” where God’s “ strength” may be found and experienced.
Then in verse 18, Israel was called to have faith in the truth that their Sovereign God would always, in every situation, “ be gracious” to them, and that He would glorify Himself in their circumstances by a display His infinite “ mercy” to them!
I especially like the way the NASB version reads: “ the Lord longs to be gracious to you.”
What they sought for in ” the safety of Pharaoh” (v. 3) could never compare to the wealth of mercy and grace that they would find in their Father’s arms, even in their great distress!
Then , verse 18 ends with a ‘beatitude.’ Those who display their faith in the Lord by simply waiting for Him, resting in Him, and longing only for Him, will be richly “ blessed”!
Now, I know that there are a host of thoughts and emotions filling our minds and hearts at this very moment. Fear, frustration, anger (perhaps some of it righteous and some not so much), impatience, and anxiety are each making their presence well-known. But what is our Lord’s will for us, the beloved Body of Christ? What is He training us to do as we travel this pathway of trouble? How is He moving us to think and to respond? Well, I believe we have our answers here in Isaiah 30.
In His perfect wisdom and flawlessly executed providence, the Lord has put us where we are. And, like that dear sister in Christ once said, ‘When the Lord sends tribulation, He expects you to tribulate!’ And this means that:
- First, now is a time for returning to the Lord, which is to repent from those sins that He exposes in times such as these. We are promised that, given a humble heart that is full of contrition, each of our trials and tribulations will result in a greater and purer faith (1 Peter 1:6-7), and that when we suffer we are being freed from the clutches of sin (1 Peter 4:1-2).
- Second, today is the day to “trust” Him in “quietness,” not exposing our lack of faith by becoming frustrated, by complaining, or by assigning blame to others for the current disaster, or by using our voices to speak ill of those who have been placed in positions of leadership in the ‘city of man.’ Rather, it is our continual rejoicing that the world should hear, and our “reasonableness” that all those around us should know (Philippians 4:4-5).
- Third, this is a moment to seek help only from our God and Father, to “rest” only in His goodness, and not to place our hopes in men or nations.
- Fourth, now is also the hour to draw from the wells of His strength, which we can do only in the act of waiting for Him, ever trusting in His mercy, His perfect timing, and His desire and determination to bless us more abundantly than we can possibly imagine!
So, let us wait, let us trust, let us quietly rest, let us come nearer to our Lord, let us cooperate with Him as He purifies our lives, and let us love one another with a brotherly affection!
Our Father is, without a doubt, up to something very good, even today: “ therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder”(Isaiah 29:14).
I pray that you will always have His peace filling your hearts!
I love you all so dearly!
Mike