Day By Day - Isaiah 30
By Leanne Rich
Personal Thoughts:
I want to look at the easily overlooked blessings in this chapter. There are four that I've identified.
In verse 15 we read, '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,...'
Point 1:- Repentance and rest = salvation
Salvation is, for our part, an acknowledgement that we are wrong and God is right, and that we have failed to measure up in so many ways. We can't save ourselves from our due punishment. God is the one who saves us by providing a suitable substitute in the perfect son of God. For us, all that is left to do is to rest in that knowledge that the work of salvation is finished.
Point 2: Quietness and trust = strength
How hard it is to find quietness within! Our world is so noisy. Phones, people talking, but worst of all is the chattering in our heads - a head full of thoughts from waking to sleep each day. It is so difficult to switch off that kind of noise. Imagination and thinking about what flits into the mind can lead to distress. For example, we can be driving down a hill and imagine running off the road at night, being trapped, phone out of reach, etc etc.
But 2 Cor 10:5 entreats us to '...demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.'
This is the switch to turning off the chatter. We have to take our thoughts captive and make them align to Jesus.
Philippians 4:8 tells us, 'Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.'
Can you imagine how different you would feel if you could consistently think about lovely things instead of worst-case scenarios? Trust Jesus to look after the future, which is often what we worry about - things that haven't even happened yet.
Point 3: Grace
Verse 18 (The Message): ‘But God’s not finished. He’s waiting around to be gracious to you. He’s gathering strength to show mercy to you. God takes the time to do everything right—everything. Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.’
What a beautiful word is Grace. The Collins Dictionary defines grace as follows: 'In Christianity and some other religions, grace is the kindness that God shows to people because He loves them.'
Point 4: Mercy
Mercy, my second favourite word in the Bible. The Collins Dictionary has 2 definitions of mercy; this is the one I think suits the context:
'Mercy is used to describe a special journey to help someone in great need, such as people who are sick or made homeless by war.'
So rewording verse 18: 'But God’s not finished. He’s waiting around to be kind to you because He loves you. He’s gathering strength to help you in your critical time of need. God takes the time to do everything right—everything. Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.'
Final Thoughts:
These beautiful words bring us rest and peace. We need to practice keeping a humble, open heart towards God, corralling our thoughts, and waiting for God's perfect answer to every situation in life which we have to face.
Remember, God loves you and me.
Personal Thoughts:
I want to look at the easily overlooked blessings in this chapter. There are four that I've identified.
In verse 15 we read, '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,...'
Point 1:- Repentance and rest = salvation
Salvation is, for our part, an acknowledgement that we are wrong and God is right, and that we have failed to measure up in so many ways. We can't save ourselves from our due punishment. God is the one who saves us by providing a suitable substitute in the perfect son of God. For us, all that is left to do is to rest in that knowledge that the work of salvation is finished.
Point 2: Quietness and trust = strength
How hard it is to find quietness within! Our world is so noisy. Phones, people talking, but worst of all is the chattering in our heads - a head full of thoughts from waking to sleep each day. It is so difficult to switch off that kind of noise. Imagination and thinking about what flits into the mind can lead to distress. For example, we can be driving down a hill and imagine running off the road at night, being trapped, phone out of reach, etc etc.
But 2 Cor 10:5 entreats us to '...demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.'
This is the switch to turning off the chatter. We have to take our thoughts captive and make them align to Jesus.
Philippians 4:8 tells us, 'Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.'
Can you imagine how different you would feel if you could consistently think about lovely things instead of worst-case scenarios? Trust Jesus to look after the future, which is often what we worry about - things that haven't even happened yet.
Point 3: Grace
Verse 18 (The Message): ‘But God’s not finished. He’s waiting around to be gracious to you. He’s gathering strength to show mercy to you. God takes the time to do everything right—everything. Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.’
What a beautiful word is Grace. The Collins Dictionary defines grace as follows: 'In Christianity and some other religions, grace is the kindness that God shows to people because He loves them.'
Point 4: Mercy
Mercy, my second favourite word in the Bible. The Collins Dictionary has 2 definitions of mercy; this is the one I think suits the context:
'Mercy is used to describe a special journey to help someone in great need, such as people who are sick or made homeless by war.'
So rewording verse 18: 'But God’s not finished. He’s waiting around to be kind to you because He loves you. He’s gathering strength to help you in your critical time of need. God takes the time to do everything right—everything. Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.'
Final Thoughts:
These beautiful words bring us rest and peace. We need to practice keeping a humble, open heart towards God, corralling our thoughts, and waiting for God's perfect answer to every situation in life which we have to face.
Remember, God loves you and me.
Posted in Isaiah