In Returning and Rest
by Melissa Lien
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.
You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’...
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem,
you will weep no more.
How gracious he will be when you cry for help!
As soon as he hears, he will answer you.
Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity
and the water of affliction,
your teachers will be hidden no more;
with your own eyes you will see them.
Whether you turn to the right or to the left,
your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,
“This is the way; walk in it.”
Isaiah 30:15-16a, 18-21 (NIV)
Isaiah 30 describes a God “who is always waiting for us to return to a place of rest in him, even though everything outside of us clamors to keep us distracted rather than grounded in God.”
We are those people who want to carry out a plan that is not from God. In her book Invitation to Retreat, Ruth Haley Barton says,
“We go down to Egypt – back to the place where we were in bondage – seeking security there. We orient our lives around the acquisition of wealth rather than the cultivation of substance, seeking easier answers than those found in God’s presence….
We run the other way – not on horses, perhaps, but in cars and on airplanes – when the Holy One is calling us to be still in God’s presence. Oh, Lord make haste to help us!”
Barton continues talking about one of our greatest needs — to be saved from ourselves.
“I don’t know about you, but I need to be saved every day. From life in our culture, yes, and from the forces of evil in the world. But mostly I need to be saved from myself – from my own busyness and the weariness that comes with it. From my feelings of self-importance. From grabbing at things that aren’t being given. From micromanaging what I have been given. From my relentless human striving. From the anger and bitterness and cynicism that threaten to take over when I have not had the chance to tell God the truth of my own heart and allowed God to address me in that place.”
In repentance and rest you shall be saved.
What would it look like to take the time to tell God what’s in your heart – the anger, bitterness, feelings of self-importance, your weariness? Could we see these as red flags that invite us to show our need for God’s healing hand in this place?
If you desire to start scraping the surface of your heart, consider these self-reflection questions: (adapted from Barton & Parakaleo resources)
What do I need to be saved from?
How am I acting as if God is powerless to save?
Where am I looking for rescue? What fix, solution, or answer am I attempting?
How might God be inviting me to incorporate regular rhythms of returning and rest into my life? (Ask God to show you what typically keeps you from saying yes to his invitation. How might you meet your avoidance tactics head-on?)
To dig deeper, consider taking some time to work through this Lectio Divina of Isaiah 30. Directions and download link here. If you would like to talk about it with someone, please reach out to Tim or Melissa.
“Your salvation requires you to turn back to me
and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves.
Your strength will come from settling down
in complete dependence on me–”
Isaiah 30:15 (MSG)