Trusting Confidence

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength. But you would not, Isaiah 30:15 (Amplified Bible)

God is capturing my attention with phrases this morning. Returning and resting. Quietness and trusting. Confidence and strength. All words of invitation from my Abba Father. His desire for me is that my days and nights are filled with His assurance and reassurance. When that seems far removed from me it is time to evaluate my heart and spirit.

Many struggles lie in the ending phrase of today’s verse…But you would not. Refusal, hesitancy, doubt, apprehension, resistance, and wrong choices all become barriers to the free flowing river of God’s love, peace, and life in me. It is there but unproductive and unrealized. Allowing God’s search light to expose harmful internal issues and attitudes is a necessary discipline in the life of any believer.

I can only return to God and His ways as I open my closed fist and release the things or people I desire to hold on to. I can only rest in Him as I cease my struggling, worrying, and constant need to have it all figured out. I can only be in quietness as I still the voices in my head and listen for His. I can only trust in Him when I shift my reliance and dependence off myself and others and unto Him. I can only place my confidence in Him when all other sources are seen as limited, unavailable, and powerless. Then the strength is mine.

It may start with a simple statement of acknowledging the truth about God and accepting His plans and purposes for my life. That which I still fight to embrace is the very thing that places me under the banner of “would not.” How much better to trust His heart and character. To know that He does all things well. He has promised to accompany me through EVERY thing in EVERY day. He has promised to supply all my needs. He is a God of His Word. Nothing He speaks returns void, including that which He speaks to my heart. I have tasted and seen that He is good and I step into a new day nourished by it all.

Father, I confess my own spirit of discontent and unacceptance. I receive not only Your forgiveness but Your hand as well. Amen.

In Christ Alone ~ Brian Littrellhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDCdGPJQ-hM

The stamp of the saint is that he can waive his own rights and obey the Lord Jesus. ~ Oswald Chambers