For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust shall be your strength. Isaiah 30:15 NAB Waiting There’s beauty in the waiting. Wherever you are in life, chances are you’re waiting for something. Waiting can be arduous but it can also be fruitful. When we acknowledge that God’s timing is perfect, our waiting takes on a whole new meaning. Waiting is not a waste of time. In fact, through waiting, God may be preparing you for what’s ahead. We have such a limited perspective …
Calm
For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust shall be your strength. Isaiah 30:15 NAB Calm 37 A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. 38 Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why …
Saved
For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust shall be your strength. Isaiah 30:15 NAB Saved How does waiting and being calm save us? When we think of saving someone, we might immediately think of big, heroic actions. The way God saves us may surprise us. He works in ways way beyond our understanding. Think of the times in your life when you have experienced God’s love and felt saved by him. There probably have been really difficult situations in your life that …
Quiet
For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust shall be your strength. Isaiah 30:15 NAB Quiet Being quiet is not looked up on well. In any scenario, the louder and bolder party is seen as better. Quietness might be interpreted as weakness, submission, vulnerability. So how can quietness be our strength? Quietness can give rise to trust. “Be still, and know that I am God;” Psalm 46:10. Quietness implies that someone else is in action, doing the work. It links to trust because it requires that …
Trust
For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust shall be your strength. Isaiah 30:15 NAB Trust It is difficult to try and solve things ourselves but we this is what we instinctively try and do. Think of the times when we try to take control, end up getting stressed and overwhelmed. If we had taken a moment to quiet our mind and give it over to God, the outcome would have been different. Experience teaches us again and again how we are not in …
Strength
For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust shall be your strength. Isaiah 30:15 NAB Strength One warped idea of strength is handling things ourselves and not asking for help. Somehow asking for help is seen as weak. This is ridiculous because as humans we are not self-sufficient. We need others and we definitely need God. What is strength? It is not hiding, not pretending, not relying on ourselves but acknowledging the one who is our strength. Trust makes us strong because then life …
Mother Mary
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38 NIV) From the very start, Mother Mary shows immense faith in God. The appearance of an angel is obviously something that would have been alarming. But she accepts and embraces God’s will almost instantaneously. We also note her humility and simplicity. Nowadays, Christmas can often be turned into something extravagant or excessive rather than humble or simple. But the true spirit of Christmas has always been humility. We are reminded through Jesus how humble our God is. He humbled himself …
St. Joseph
“So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel” (Matthew 2:21 NIV) We note in this verse how St. Joseph is very obedient. This is a profound reminder that we should always be obedient to God even when it is hard. St. Joseph shows obedience by listening to the angel and fleeing to Egypt, then he returns to Israel after Herod dies and then goes to Galilee, all in accordance with what the angel says. This makes me think of the different places our life takes us …
Elizabeth
“But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy” (Luke 1:43, 44 NIV) We can feel the sense of excitement and jubilation Elizabeth has here for her cousin Mary. How wonderful it is for us to be happy for others! However, at times, this can be tainted with jealousy or resentment. But we have to remember that we are all blessed as Elizabeth proclaims. Our blessings are different and unique. So we …
The Three Kings
“And so they left, and on their way they saw the same star they had seen in the East. When they saw it, how happy they were, what joy was theirs!” (Matthew 2:9,10 GNT) The kings make an arduous journey to find the child Jesus. They are guided by a star. Sometimes, we too need to be guided by others towards Jesus. However, our hearts may not always be receptive to this. But God works in his own time and his timing is perfect. And when we finally see Jesus, our response will be very similar to the …
The Shepherds
“An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” (Luke 2: 9,10 NIV) The shepherds were “terrified” when the angel appeared to them. We too can be seized with fear when unexpected things happen. However, the angel reassures the shepherds and us today that the birth of Jesus is “good news that will cause great joy for all the people”. Good news and great joy for everyone is …
Baby Jesus
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). (Matthew 1:23 NIV) This verse is also found in Isaiah 7:14. It is one of many prophecies relating to the birth of Jesus. How beautiful is it that God planned long ago to come as Man for our salvation. Immanuel means “God with us”. He is always with us but that is something we easily forget. He came in physical form to be with his people, spread the good news and die for them. He redeemed …
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