Strength in Quietness and Confidence
Posted: Thursday, March 19, 2009
by Jean Purcell
OpineBooks.com
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" (Isaiah 30:15).
"In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength." These words help the Christian in the rough and tumble of life. When we wonder about how to react during the day-to-day times or when stressed or in a jumble due to circumstances, when these words come to mind they help guide and comfort us.
God knows the individual temperament, personality, character, and desires of each one of His children, heirs to eternal life with Him through Christ. "In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength."
Wouldn't we prefer peace and quiet for work, prayer, time with family and friends? This quietness does not exclude noise, laughter, or hilarity. Yet, needs and work call us, too.
But stillness and noiselessness are not exactly the same as "the quietness of God." The quiet He gives is an inward peace. In a crowd there can be that quiet place, if we will remember and seek it. It is a place with Him, of such trust in Him that the whirlwinds, upsets, or disappointments cannot imprison us in fears or distractions. We may veer in the direction of upsets; we may linger there; yet, God's peace will, eventually, speak within us and rescue us, if we allow.
The one perfect Peace-Maker and Peace-Keeper gives a peace that the world cannot give. He said, "My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27-New King James Bible).
Jesus' peace is beyond the natural world's ability to deliver. His peace is beyond and unlike any peace that we can make on earth, for ourselves or for others. His peace that He offers to us rides out storms and helps calm their devastation within us.
Confidence at first glance seems to speak of self-assurance and self-trust. We can infer that this confidence makes a person walk tall and unafraid, assured that he or she can do or be anything they want to do or be. "Re-create yourself" is a term that rises out of this version of confidence.
Yet, self-confidence is not what this confidence is. This confidence is of God, of trust in Him, within us, affecting what happens outwardly, from us. God is Spirit, the Truth all-powerful and all-knowing. The word confidence means "with faith," "with fidelity, " and "trust." God is sovereign and therefore is the One who will never fail us, if we put our trust in Him. Only He is perfect, and faithful always, changeless and true forever.
We cannot grasp all that God is doing or why He allows certain things. We do not always like His ways, for in our human limitations we can see only so far. We do not always understand His ways, for they are higher than our ways.
Yet, if we continue with Him, despite our lack of understanding or even our liking of His ways, with quietness and confidence before Him we do come to understand and to embrace His ways. We become assured in that peace that only He can give.
God offers us adequate strength for every day. No matter what. Thanks be to God who does not always give us what we want or hope for, but always gives what is best. There is no other like Him, our Redeemer, Comfort, and Guide.
God gives us peace in the storm when we feel alone. When we suffer, He does a new work in us and strengthens us, if we hold onto Him, in quietness and trust.
God works powerfully in His people when they come together, whether two-by-two or in a crowd. Two together, praising Him and trusting in His wisdom and goodness, lift each other to hold on to God, to hope, and to overcome. Praise God, our Hope and our Help through every age of life.
Meditate on God, our help in ages past and the days of now.
Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.
A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.
Our God, Our Help in Ages Past: Words: Isaac Watts, The Psalms of David , 1719.
Source: cyberhymnal.org
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Top-level comments on this article: (7 total)hi jane,this was a beautiful article, and it mirrors the way i feel as well.only God could have kept my feet on the ground these past 52 years, and i know that with every fiber of my existence, and every cell in my body.thanks for reminding all where to turn when everthing else has seemed to turn against them,my best regards,sueDear Sue,
I pause to thank God for your life and His help to you through it all, and on-going. Your testimony of coming through many storms encourages others. May you continue to go from strength to strength by the grace and guiding Spirit of God.
Jane
This article brings to mind John 3:16. "so that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish". An expanded translation says, "in order that everyone who places trust in Him may be having eternal life." And the Amplified New Testament says, "whosoever believes in (trusts, clings to, relies on) Him" I would add the phrase, "rests in Him".David, I like your addition of "rest," for it is in this meaning. Your comment also reminded me of something in scripture: "Even the demons believe that [there is one God] —and shudder" - James 2:19 (NIV). Faith is more than knowing or believing a fact about God; it is believing with trust in Him to the point of life changed in thought and action by the Spirit within.
God bless you.
This is a great article, Jane. Well done...Ken,
I am glad you enjoyed this article. Thank you.
Blessings,
Jane
Hi Jane, very encouraging words in this season of turmoil that has hit the majority. Lord bless your tender heart and all the words you share. Blessings to you! TeresaHi, Teresa,
Everyone seems to be going through something unusually difficult or challenging these days. We know He is faithful all the time. God bless you too!
Jane
I appreciated this article and would of loved to been able to forward or share it with a friend, it would be a nice addition to this site. Patty
Hi, Patty,
If you go up the article page and note the page description in the URL window, you can copy that and paste in text area of e-mail to friends, if you want to:
Your encouraging words touch me. Thank you for writing. All of this points to the wonders of God.
Jane
I am blessed dear sisterChris,
Please excuse my late reply. There has been illness in our family and it has taken extreme care. Thank you so much for reading this article and for writing to me. May God bless you and keep you!
Sincerely,
Jane
Hi Jean. I didn't catch when you wrote this but today this encouraged me. This verse has been very important these last few months. And in needing guidance with my type A personality, it really brings me back to what counts.You know how when you see a verse that means something - but then you have to apply it to every day life! How mismatched that can be.Well, your writing helped me find a resting place for this verse in my life. I saw God's gentleness and grace - not his disapproval which I usually first think I see.Dear friend, Thank you for letting me know your thoughts. I understand your meanings. And I too have desired to be mainly aware of God's great and unchanging love. It's been a prayer prayed and answered, ongoing. I need that awareness to keep learning obedience (Hebrews 1) and seeing the just God's essential character. And Love hung on that Cross and bore all of sin, for us. Amazing every day. What love!!! God bless you!!! In Christ, Jean
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