Calm under pressure

In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength. – Isaiah 30:15

At the farewell for a minister who had served his church for 20 years, several preachers eloquently extolled his many virtues. One layman, however, paid a tribute that the pastor considered to be the most gratifying. He said, "I have observed him nearly every day for the past 20 years, and I’ve never seen him in a hurry!"

The pastor said that for years he had asked God to teach him how to renew his strength through "quietness and confidence", as he had read in Isaiah 30:15. In this verse Isaiah was calling rebellious Israel to return to God and rely on Him to find new strength. The pastor, however, saw in that verse a principle applicable to his own life.

Some people are calm by nature; others are high-strung. But Christians, regardless of their temperament, can come to God in prayer and learn to renew their strength in quietness and confidence. Martin Luther said that he could get so busy that he first needed to spend at least three hours a day in prayer to get anything done. Often we reverse that order. We rush from task to task feeling flustered because we haven’t taken time to be with the Lord.

Let’s learn the principle set forth in Isaiah 30:15. In quietness and confidence before God we find the real source of strength to stay calm. – Richard W. De Haan

We oft grow weary in life’s race,

We’re driven by its hurried pace;

But when we wait upon the Lord,

His strength becomes our sure reward. – Dennis De Haan

READ: Isaiah 30:15-18

Never take on more work than you have time to pray about.

The Bible in one year:

• 1 Chronicles 25-27

• John 9:1-23