In Quietness And Confidence
I had the great blessing of having godly grandparents. My Grandfather Bakay, especially, instilled reading of the Bible and morning devotionals very early in my life. So, as a little girl I knew the Ten Commandments, many Bible stories, and later when reading on my own, I tackled reading the Bible for myself.
Not the entire thing, perhaps, but I remember the book of Isaiah becoming favorite bible reading. Although I memorized a few verses (who hasn’t memorized John 3:16 at some point in their Christian walk?), the first portion of verse 15 in chapter 30 of Isaiah stood out for me.
(15) For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest shall ye be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength;
It was to be a foundational verse for my personal life through many decades, and came alive for me even recently, again.
A Rhema Word
Rhema is a Greek word, and it relates to the “verb” part of a sentence. For Christians it is the word of God which is made alive to us in some way. God’s spoken word for our situation. This is the way this particular verse has worked for me during the course of my life.
I don’t know if we all have such earmarked scriptures, but I do believe that God makes the scriptures which we hide in our hearts come alive for us.
Comfort
These “utterances” bring a sense of comfort in uncertain times. The admonition of taking “rest and returning”, “in quietness and confidence”, has always centered me in turning my thoughts towards God, trusting in the finished work of the cross and focusing my thoughts on becoming calm in situations that would cause me unrest.
Power
That is the power of such personalized messages. They keep speaking a vital truth to our souls, one that we especially seem to need.
Although there are many favorite scriptures in which people throughout the ages have found guidance, comfort and strength , we all have unique personalities. The Bible scripture that has had life meaning for me may have importance for others, but it may not be among the specific scriptures that have deep meaning and application for them.
We each need to develop our own relationship with God, and He, in turn, will reveal Himself ot each of us, personally. People have always tried to bottle and label this process, but the Gospel is so simple and accessible that even a child can relate to God’s love and truth.
That is part of the power of His word.
Taking Action
I rehearsed the things that God had already done within my thinking.
The idea of getting riled up and making problems for myself and others. Because that is what the flesh does, stir up trouble, doesn’t it?
For all of my life the recurring words of returning and resting in the Lord, having quietness and confidence of spirit has strengthened and guided me.
