In Quietness and Trust

As you remember (if you read any previous posts) this semester has been not only busy but pretty difficult in a lot of ways.  The difficulty did not solely come from academic work, but rather situations and spiritual growth.  This past semester has had almost general a theme for myself and surrounding friends of "hard."  It seemed that every conversation I had with a close friend, they were also going through a season of trying and feeling weaker than ever.  Maybe it's the age and time that my friends and I are at right now or maybe our society as a whole is getting more stressed, but it was crazy how tired people seemed to be getting day after day.  Maybe that's a better word to describe the season..... tiresome.  But also, it's been so so so so special and sweet.  

With this season of feeling tired and weak, the Lord rocked my world with a verse from Isaiah.  

It says, "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength."  Isaiah 30:15

Now, I believe scripture to be God-breathed, but I guess I did not really take into consideration what that meant.  For me, it seems as if God has even whispered this verse in my ears on multiple occasions.  For instance, I would find myself wanting to fix a problem with explanations or try to talk through something when there was nothing left to talk about.  It was in these confused and weak times that Isaiah 30:15 would seep through my mind... "in quietness and trust is your strength."  It would remind me to let go and just trust.  I can talk all day about how important it is to trust God but just how much am I actually trusting?  I hear some people go on and on consoling themselves with "well, God did this for a reason... He has a plan" and I agree, but if you actually believe those words in your core then I think the way we handle situations would be a lot different from the way we actually are.

This verse reminds me to shutup alot of the time and let the Lord rule my heart.  It doesn't matter if I am outgoing or super happy all the time because the Lord doesn't need a good mood to work though, He can use anything and anyone and most likely, it's when I am the most unaware.  This understanding of being quiet and trusting is way easier said then done, especially for women because we just love talking and analyzing and beating an issue to the ground until we think we have a solution that is typically irrational.  In my psychology class, we talked about how women get caught in a depression easier compared to men typically, because we just will not stop dragging out the problem and want to keep talking about it!  Haha I understand that and definitely have been the most guilty in these conversations, however, this verse has even transformed my thinking in that way!  Instead of manufacturing some way to fix a problem or manipulate something to plan my own steps... be QUIET and TRUST.  Listen for the Lord and Trust in your quietness.  Trust in the Lord's plan, power, goodness and His timing...

I am telling you... God yelled this at me, or at least I yelled it at myself because all this time I felt weak, the Lord provided the answer to my "why" questions just like He answers the majority of my questions before I even ask.  "The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Hebrews 4:12  It's our survival kit, our manual from God Himself.  Whether I "feel" its power or not after I read doesn't matter because God doesn't work through our feelings alone.  His power and sovereignty does not rely on our acceptance, but rather exists on its own and has eternally.

With those previous thoughts being stated, I want to encourage asking God for wisdom and faith.  Ask Him to help you discern His voice and how to be more like Him because He will rock your world and show you in ways you had no idea He could.  The Lord works on His time and His plans are good, plans for a hope and a future. (Jer. 29:11)