GIVE ME STRENGTH

Isaiah 30:15 NLT This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.

Isaiah 30:15 ISV: …in staying calm and trusting will be your strength. But you refused.

I’m sure we all have moments when we pray, “Lord give me strength!”. It may be an exclamation of exasperation if a situation is testing our patience, or it may be we need God to step in supernaturally and give us the extra spiritual strength we need, or physical strength when ours is all used up. 

Very often we think of Nehemiah 8:10, “The joy of the Lord is our strength”, but if we’re feeling worn out or at a low ebb, the joy of the Lord can sometimes seem out of reach, (even though we know it isn’t because it’s down inside our spirit).😊 

But in the ISV translation of Isaiah 30:15, we’re told our strength also comes from staying calm and trusting God to help us in whatever way we need Him to, and I’m so grateful for that.

“Return and rest in Me…In quietness and confidence is your strength”. What a lovely invitation - return and rest. Whenever we’re upset, or distressed in some way, we can know we have an open invitation to return and rest in Him.😊 

We know our confidence isn’t to be in ourselves, but in our God, but so often we speak out the negative or fearful thoughts that are going through our minds and make matters worse! We‘re actually refusing His offer when we do that!

It’s a bit like God is saying, it’s better to keep quiet and if you’ll just trust Me to turn things around for good you’ll be strong through it all.

So if or when you need more strength this week, tap into the joy of the Lord, but if you’re struggling with that, then stay calm, keep quiet and be confident in God. Let’s remember to keep returning and resting in Him and trust Him to be our strength, our strong tower, our refuge throughout each day, and His joy will begin to bubble up in us again.😊 In Jesus name. Amen.

Photo: Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash