Saved by Rest and Waiting

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.”
But you were unwilling….

Isaiah 30:15

Have you ever rushed to a decision and acted on that decision because you felt deep down that if you didn’t make a snap decision and acted swiftly, you would pay the price later?

I know when I’ve faced crisis, I’ve made snap decisions and acted more swiftly and boldly than I would have if I were not in crisis. Those snap decisions should have resulted in good fortunes and good results, but they haven’t always worked out that way. In fact, I’ve always found that my rash decisions are often more problematic than the issue they were supposed to solve.

In Isaiah, we find God telling Isaiah that the Israelites were doing the same thing: making rash decisions that don’t benefit them and in fact cause more issues than actually solving them. God says instead of making these horribly rash decisions, the Israelites must “return” to the rest of God. That the “quietness” we find in resting in God and the faithful “trust” we place on him will be the guiding force that the Israelites need to make good decisions.

Our challenge today is simple: do you want to be saved from the fatigue of decision making that causes you to falter? If yes, then you must return to the rest of God. We need to spend time being with our Lord. We need to pray. We need to sing praises. We need to sit in the stillness where we can hear God’s voice. It begins with 10 unadulterated minutes, and then 20, and 30 and so on. We have to intentionally block our calendars to be with our God today.