Dear friends,
When I was about 21 years old, I thought I was going to become a missionary. I had come to know Jesus in a powerful way and I wanted to do the very best I possibly could to serve Him.
At the time I was a part of a campus student fellowship called Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship. I signed up for a program called Student Training in Missions which involved going to a foreign country to work alongside full time missionaries. I ended up being assigned to NAM (North Africa Mission) which worked with French speaking Muslims in southern France and North Africa.
While overseas, I had a moment with the Lord on my little cot in a mission compound in Algeria. I said, “Lord if this is where you want me to be, I am willing. Send me if it is your will.”
What happened next surprised me and impacted me for the rest of my life. The Lord whispered in my ear, “No, I’m not sending you.”
Then He ‘read’ the verse of Scripture in the picture above to me. It jumped out of the pages into my heart. “…in returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength…”
The rest of the chapter of Isaiah 30 talks about what happens if we don’t do what those verses say, if we run ahead of him in our own strength. In other words, you really DON’T want to do that!
That day something inside me shifted from performing for God to simply resting in Him and trusting Him to lead and guide me.
If He would have said, “Yes, I’m sending you!” I would have done so and been blessed no matter how hard it was.
All throughout your lifetime, you need to regularly pull away, and in quietness return to Him to renew your trust and find your strength in Him alone. He will clearly guide you and direct your steps.
Let it be your lifestyle to live in Isaiah 30:15-mode.
Abiding in Christ this way is the key to strength and a blessed life.
Praying for you to find the space and time to pull away and be refreshed and renewed!
Blessings,
Terri
