This week, we continued our study of Isaiah with the lesson, “Rest for Our Souls.” As you know, I like to share notes from my weekly teaching here on the blog. So, let’s start by looking at the meditation verse for this lesson —
In repentance and rest is your salvation; in quietness and trust is your strength/confidence (Isaiah 30:15)
Let’s break down this verse with these definitions —
Repentance – To turn back to God (penthouse of thinking)
Rest – To cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength. In the spiritual sense, calmly reposing on God for assistance.
Salvation – Preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss.
Quietness – Being still
Trust – Firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.
Strength – Strong/powerful
Confidence – The feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust.
Returning and rest correspond to quietness and confidence.
Returning enables us to be at rest and being quiet and trusting enables us to have strength and confidence.
So what is the “highway to finding rest?” I am going to suggest that it is the following steps:
- Leave Egypt/bondage
- Rid ourselves of Egypt’s ways
- Come into agreement with God’s Word
And then there are steps to repentance —
- Ask the Holy Spirit to examine our hearts.
- Turn from trusting man and trusting God
- Turn back from disobedience to God in any area of our lives
- Ask the Holy Spirit to show you a preferable future
- Times of refreshing, post-repentance
Where is God calling to you to return back to him today? I hope you are encouraged to return to him as you seek to find quietness, confidence and rest for your soul.
