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God’s secret to spiritual strength: “Quietness and
confidence shall be your strength.”
.
David Wilkerson
A Message for Today
The
prophet Isaiah pronounced a woe on Israel: “‘Woe
to the rebellious children,’ says the Lord” (Isaiah 30:1, NKJV).
The
Hebrew word Isaiah uses for “rebellious”
means backsliding, stubbornness, a turning away.
What,
exactly, were God’s people turning away from? And what caused their
backsliding?
The
answer is in the next phrase: “[They]
take counsel, but not of Me, and [they] devise plans, but not of My Spirit” (Isaiah 30:130:1).
This
means they make their own plans.
Simply
put, God said, “My people no longer look
to me for guidance and counsel. Instead, they lean on the arm of the flesh.
Every time they act without seeking me, turning to the world for help, they
pile sin upon sin. They’ve forsaken their trust in my strong arm.”
God’s
people knew full well they were to trust the Lord in every situation, no matter
how insignificant.
The
Psalms constantly reminded them, “How
precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their
trust under the shadow of Your wings” (Psalm
36:7).
“For my soul trusts in You; and in the shadow of
Your wings I will make my refuge” (Psalm
57:1).
“Because
You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice” (Psalm 63:7).
Isaiah
declared that God would break down all their self-protective walls: “Therefore this iniquity shall be to you
like a breach ready to fall… whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant. And
He shall break it like the breaking of the potter’s vessel, which is broken in
pieces; He shall not spare” (Isaiah
30:13-14).
God was
saying, “I’m going to break into pieces
every false thing you’ve trusted in. Your plans are going to collapse.”
Then
Isaiah revealed God’s compassionate heart toward his people.
He urged
Judah, “You don’t have to live in
confusion anymore. You don’t have to endure this sudden breaking. God has
provided a way out for us.”
“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’” (Isaiah 30:15).
Here, in
short, is God’s secret to spiritual strength: “Quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”
The word
for quietness in Hebrew means repose, indicating calm, relaxing, free from all
anxiety, lying down with support underneath.
Not many Christians today
have this kind of quietness and confidence.
Multitudes
of believers are involved in a frenzy of activity, rushing madly to obtain
things.
Even in
the ministry, God’s servants are full of worry and fear, looking for answers in
conferences, seminars, best-selling books.
Everyone
wants guidance, solutions, something to calm their spirit, yet they seek it in
every source except the Lord.
They
don’t realize God has already spoken a word for them through the prophet
Isaiah.
He
describes what God’s righteousness is supposed to accomplish in us: “The work of righteousness will be peace,
and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever” (Isaiah 32:17).
If we’re
truly walking in righteousness, our lives will bear the fruit of a calm spirit,
quietness of heart and peace with God.
Peter
speaks of “the incorruptible beauty of a
gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God” (1 Peter 3:4).
Such a
spirit has nothing to do with temperament or personality.
Some
people are naturally inclined to be calm and shy while others are simply
morbid.
No, the
meek, quiet spirit Peter refers to can only be implanted in us by the Holy
Spirit. He gives it to everyone who fully trusts the Lord in all things.
As Isaiah
looked around, he saw God’s people fleeing to Egypt for help, trusting in men,
relying on horses and chariots.
The
prophet warned, “Now the Egyptians are
men, and not God; and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord
stretches out His hand, both he who helps will fall, and he who is helped will
fall down; they all will perish together” (Isaiah 31:3).
Ambassadors
were coming and going.
Leaders
were holding emergency strategy meetings. Everyone was in a panic, wailing, “What can we do? The Assyrians are going to
wipe us out.”
Isaiah
assured them, “It doesn’t have to be this
way. Return from your backsliding. Repent of your rebellion of trusting in
others. Turn to the Lord, and he’ll cover you with a blanket of peace. He’ll
give you quietness and rest in the midst of everything you face.”
The Holy Spirit gives us
strength when we release all our needs into God’s hands and trust in his might.
Ruth is
an example of this kind of trust.
After her
husband died, Ruth lived with her mother-in-law, Naomi, who was quite elderly.
Naomi was
concerned about Ruth’s welfare and wanted to ensure her daughter-in-law’s
future.
She
advised Ruth to lie down at the feet of the wealthy Boaz and ask him to fulfill
his obligation to her as her kinsman.
That
evening, after the day’s winnowing was finished, Boaz lay down “at the end of the heap of grain; and [Ruth]
came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down” (Ruth 3:7).
The next
morning, he woke up startled, finding a woman lying at his feet. (There was
nothing immoral about Ruth’s presence there; this was a common custom of the
day.)
“And he said, ‘Who are you?’ So she answered, ‘I am Ruth, your maidservant.
Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative’” (Ruth 3:9).
She was
saying, in essence, “Will you take on the
obligation of a relative for me? Will you provide for me?”
In short,
she was asking, “Will you marry me?”
This was
no manipulative scheme. Ruth and Naomi had done everything in divine order.
We can be
sure of this, because Christ’s lineage came through Ruth.
When Ruth
returned home early that morning, Naomi asked her, “Is that you, my daughter?” (Ruth 3:16).
She was
asking, in other words, “Should I call
you ‘engaged Ruth’? Or are you still widowed Ruth?”
Ruth told
Naomi all that had happened.
Now
listen to her godly mother-in-law’s advice: “Sit
still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man
will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day” (Ruth 3:18).
Naomi had
prayed about the matter, seeking God’s direction, and God had given her
counsel.
He had
reminded her of the law of the kinsman-redeemer (which was a type and
foreshadowing of Christ).
Naomi was
confident that she and Ruth had done their part. Now it was time to sit still
and trust God to perform what he had promised.
She was
saying, “It’s all in the Lord’s hands
now, Ruth. Just relax and be calm. God will move supernaturally for you, so you
don’t have to worry, fret or manipulate anything. Let quietness and confidence
be your strength. God won’t let Boaz rest until he puts a ring on your finger.”
A calm
and peace settled over Naomi’s house.
Nobody
was in a frenzy, biting fingernails and wondering, “Will God do it? When will it happen?”
These two
faithful women could relax, sing and praise the Lord for his goodness.
What
about your home?
Is it a
calm, peaceful abode?
Or is it
a place of doubt, questioning, anxiety, restlessness?
Do you
run here and there, fretting, “How am I
going to pay the bills?”
When
trouble comes, do you seek God diligently before any other source?
Then do
you obey everything he tells you to do?
Finally,
are you still, restful, trusting him for the result? If so, your home should be
one of calm and peace.
Isaiah lists the good
things that come to those who wait on the Lord in all ways.
“Blessed are all those who wait for Him…. You
shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry…
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.… You
shall have a song as in the night… and gladness of heart” (Isaiah 30:18-19, 21, 29).
Isaiah
was saying, “If you’ll just wait on the
Lord — if you’ll cry out to him again and return to trusting him — he’ll do for
you everything I’ve said and more.”
God can
merely speak a word, and the enemy will falter before us: “For through the voice of the Lord Assyria will be beaten down, as He
strikes with the rod” (Isaiah 30:31).
There is
no matter our Father can’t solve, no battle he can’t win for us, with a mere
word from his lips. Isaiah says “the
breath of the Lord” will consume everything in our way (see Isaiah
30:33).
Dear
saint, he wants it all: your health, your family, your future.
He wants
you to entrust him with every matter, and he wants you to live in quietness,
confidence and rest.
Go to
your secret closet and get alone with the Lord.
Bring
everything to him. He has promised, “You’ll
hear my word behind you, telling you which way to go. This is the way. Now,
walk in it.”
David Wilkerson was called to New
York City in 1958 to minister to gang members and drug addicts, as told in the
best-selling book The Cross and the Switchblade. He went on to create Teen
Challenge and World Challenge, Inc. to minister to people’s spiritual and
physical needs.
In
1987, he established Times Square Church. As its founding pastor, he faithfully
led this congregation, delivering powerful biblical messages that encourage
righteous living and complete reliance on God.
David
Wilkerson also had a strong burden to encourage his fellow pastors. He founded
the Summit International School of Ministry; and from 1999 to 2008, he held
international conferences to strengthen church leaders.
His
passion to support believers, build up leaders and care for the poor is still
at the heart of World Challenge’s ministries to this day.
https://worldchallenge.org/newsletter/2019/secret-spiritual-strength
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