Thoughts for the Day

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:
In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength....

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

This passage is written by Isaiah to cope with a current situation where Jordan's leaders are seeking to side with Egypt against Assyria, hoping that the Assyrian hordes will not swallow them up as they did the ten missing tribes in 722 BCE. Isaiah prophecies this will not happen (although there was in fact to be an abortive siege of Jerusalem in 701 BCE). Nevertheless this little passage from Isaiah also has much to say to us today especially concerning our attitude to God. In the first few lines there are some important words: 'returning', 'rest', 'quietness', and 'trust", as well as 'be saved'. These words can be understood in a physical way and are therefore appropriate to trying to calm the Assyrians down, for they might refer to a military or political situation - a sort of 'keep your head below the parapet, or it will get knocked off' attitude!

But Isaiah is not just saying to the people "If you remain passive, Assyria will not cause a problem", for these words also have a spiritual meaning, and can apply to us today. 'Being saved' can refer to remaining in a relationship with God. If we 'return' to God, if we listen to God, and put our 'trust' in God, then we will 'be saved' spiritually. Poignantly, we see in the second paragraph the opposite thought - that our God 'waits' patiently and faithfully for people to 'return' to Him in repentance, and to have faith and 'trust' in His word as the 'God of justice'.

This Advent let us return to God, and rest patiently in His love, trusting that as His children we shall be saved.

Father,
amid the busy chaos of this time of the year,
let us find some time to return to You,
to rest awhile before You in quietness and peace,
trusting in Your promises
that when we repent we shall be saved.
Then, may we go out into the world
renewed and revived to continue
Your work of calling people to You.
Amen.