17 Jun God’s Word: The Best Self-help Tool There Is
We’ve been studying Isaiah 30:15 in our services at Faith for a couple of weeks. It’s not a long verse, but it’s one that is packed with so much wisdom. It says, “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.”
I think it’s awesome that before God tells us what He wants us to do, He tells us who He wants to be to us. He has incredible things He wants to make happen in our lives—things that are greater than we can imagine, and things that only He, in His sovereignty, can bring to pass. The word sovereign means that He is superior in power. It means that He can handle the things we don’t know how to handle. Then, the word holy means set apart. So, God is saying that if we let Him be in charge, He’ll change things for the better. Once we see the results of this change, our hearts will long to be set apart so that He can continue working in us. If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a follower of God, it’s that His ways are addicting. Once you see them working, you never want to stop pursuing them.
The next part of the verse tells us what we have to do to benefit from these attributes of God. Repent and rest. Romans 12:2 gives us the formula for repenting when it tells us to “do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Repentance occurs when we change the way we think. When we change our thoughts for the better, our actions will change for the better, and our lives will follow suit.
The second thing God calls us to is rest. Once we align our thoughts with God’s and start living by His answers, we are to rest in Him. We are to trust that He is good, and that He will reward our honor. When we do these things, we’ll experience two results. We will get fed and we will be freed. Our hearts will get fed as we learn more about God’s ways, thoughts and dreams for our lives. We will be matured into who God has called us to be. Then, we will be freed—freed from outcomes that bring devastation into our lives. We will instead be living a life full of good things—things God has meant for us all along.
Do you need a turnaround in your life? It’s not too late. Choose to see God for who He is—sovereign and holy. Then, make a choice to love repentance and rest in His presence. When that happens, your heart will be fed and freed, and you’ll be able to walk into all that God has for you. God’s Word works!