The Lord God: “In returning and rest you shall be saved. In quietness and in trust shall be your strength. But you were rebellious and unwilling to listen to me. You said: ‘No. We’ll ride off on fast horses.‘ Therefore your enemies will be fast and scatter you. There will be nothing left of you.

Isaiah 30:15,16, 9 (simplified)
    

My parents owned a small weekend ranch my father named the RRR which stood for Rest, Retirement, and Relaxation. It was a small family place so, of course, there had to be a swimming pool, fish pond and a horse. My little sister grew up riding and even barrel racing in high school. As a twenty-something who didn’t grow up with a horse, I was not very confident on wooded trails and small pastures which made riding fast not a safe option. And then there was that time my Dad “won” a Shetland Pony and I thought I could manage a smaller “horse.” That first ride on the back of the pony did not end well for me. From the minute I got on the pony’s back, it rode off as fast as possible headed to the trees and only stopped in time for one of us NOT to get hurt. It was him, by the way.

In Isaiah chapter 30 is a biblical story of the foolishness of getting on a fast ride without seeking God in prayer or trusting wise counsel. We get the back story as God seeks to redirect his people from the wrong direction they have chosen, that is racing away from God on fast horses: “Ah stubborn children, who carry out a plan, but not mine…who set out to go down to Egypt without asking for my direction.” (30:1-2) The people of Judah decided to appeal for peace and aid with the King of Egypt. The more traditional course for national security issues would have been to delay a high-level decision until the word of the Lord was given through the wise counsel of a prophet.

Yet Isaiah says that they foolishly to choose the solution of militarism, that is, seeking horses from another nation to build up their army: “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult with the Lord.” (31:1) In the end, true strength, security, and peace is found in trust. Unfortunately, God’s people relied on their own power to accomplish their political goals. They trusted alliances that were worthless and empty (30:7) rather than trust the God who saves and provides true rest and peace. And sadly, following their own plan led them to attempt a fast escape from enemies who pursued with faster horses. Unwise planning usually catches up to us in the end.

Our nature is to literally run the other way when God calls us to rest and trust. The good news is we have a God who is always waiting for us to return. “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”  (30:15)

We run the other way–not on horses, perhaps, but in cars and on airplanes–when the Holy One is calling us to be still in God’s presence. I don’t know about you, but I need to be saved every day. From life in our culture, yes, and from the forces of evil in the world. But mostly I need to be saved from myself–from my own busyness and the weariness that comes with it. From my feelings of self-importance. From grabbing at things that aren’t being given. From micromanaging what I have been given. From my relentless human striving. From the anger and bitterness and cynicism that threaten to take over when I have not had the chance to tell God the truth of my heart and allowed God to address me in that place. Ruth Haley Barton, Invitation to Retreat.

REFLECT. As Ruth expresses her need to be saved from culture and the evil in the world and herself, what restlessness do you notice in yourself? Take some time to tell God the truth of your own heart and return to God, inviting salvation and rest for your soul and gracious compassion and justice for our world.

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you, therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
The Lord is a God who is always fair. Blessed are all those who wait for him to act! Isaiah 30:18 (NIrV)

PRAY. For just a few minutes each day, sit in solitude away from busy places. Try reading this prayer “Gather Me” to return your thoughts to the presence of God. As your thoughts wander, gently repeat, “O God, Gather Me.”

Gather Me to Be With You

O God, gather me now to be with you as you are with me.

Soothe my tiredness; quiet my fretfulness; curb my aimlessness; relieve my compulsiveness; let me be easy for a moment.

Let me be easy for a moment.

O Lord, release me from the fears and guilts which grip me so tightly;

from the expectations and opinions which I so tightly grip,

that I may be open to receiving what you give, to risking something genuinely new, to learning something refreshingly different.

O God, gather me to be with you as you are with me. Amen

Ted Loder, Guerilas of Grace.