Alive: Being, not doing
This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:
Isaiah 30:15 NIV
“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.
In God’s kingdom, there is no injustice or extreme poverty. I believe the call of the wider church is to bring His kingdom to earth. For this to happen, we need to do things that make a difference. Change comes through taking action.
Yet, the quest for justice should not be driven by restlessness or fueled by a need to keep busy. When we’re driven by busyness, deeper reflection and listening carefully to others can be crowded out. Worst of all, it can consume all the time and space we need to hear God and be guided by the Holy Spirit.
Our salvation is in repentance and rest; our strength is in quietness and trust, for these are the qualities we need to draw close to God. God meets us most powerfully in the stillness of our hearts, in the very center of our being, for there we are most truly ourselves.
Prayer:
Lord,
May we always be open to you in our innermost being, so that our “doing” is always guided by your will and not by our needs. Please help us to keep our identity so rooted in you, that everything we are and do reflects more of your wisdom and love.
Amen.
Author: Dr. Elaine Storkey, Tearfund’s Theology Committee