Our Focus

For thus says the Lord God , the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” But you would not, Isaiah 30:15

Hello,Lately, I seem to be fighting battles on every side and trying to keep to my work schedule (school is out). Through the weekend, I kept hearing the end part of the verse above from Isaiah. So, today I visited the 30th chapter of Isaiah and understood.

God was speaking to his rebellious children, who trusted more in others than in Him. Children who did not involve Him in their plans, counsel, or seek Him for strength. He told them that going to Egypt and pharaoh would be to their shame and would not profit them. He had earlier warned them to return (repent) and find rest in Him, the fountain of living waters. To be quiet in rest and confident in the hope of His salvation.

I stopped reading at this point because I noticed that God did not just call Israel to repentance, but also to rest as part of the salvation process. When the prodigal son returned, he found rest from the hustle, not as a servant, but as a son of the house. In Christ, we are sons of God. If that is so, why was I struggling? When we are not at rest, we are not experiencing the salvation Christ died to obtain for us.

Part b of Isaiah 30:15 states that we manifest our strength by the quietness and confidence in God with which we live. How quiet have I been internally, to hear God, and externally in dealing with others. When there is a struggle in the heart/mind, we tend to react and not respond. Our quietness must come from our confidence in He who is with us at all times. So, where is our focus?

‘Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.’ II Corinthians 4:16-18

Though we may seem to be perishing, afflicted, and struggling on every side, do not lose heart. Do not worry because what we are going through is light, and only for a moment, it shall pass. So, today I ask, where is our focus, based on the following questions:

Where is Christ seated?
Where are we in Christ?
Are we victims or victors?
Is the devil trying to steal, kill, and destroy us through any means possible?
Has God brought us through worse situations?

If we can answer these questions, our focus should change. We should be standing/seating tall instead of slumped over. Whatever we have done or didn’t do to get where we are is not the issue, we should believe in the fountain of living waters and not on broken cisterns.

‘Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him. And though the Lord gives you The bread of adversity and the water of affliction, Yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, But your eyes shall see your teachers. Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.’ Isaiah 30:18,20-21

Rest, be quiet, and stay confident; He will come and save you.

Till next time, be transformed!!