In Quietness and Trust Is Your Strength

January 26

Week Four: Waiting Is Trust

“This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.” Isaiah‬ ‭30‬:‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There is something very different about what God says here.

“In quietness and trust is your strength.”

That’s not how most of us are wired. When life gets hard, we tend to do the opposite.

We move faster. We talk more. We try to fix things. We look for ways to get back in control. Strength, to us, usually looks like action. Doing something. Sorting it out. Getting on top of it.

But Isaiah says that strength doesn’t come from pushing harder. It comes from quietness. It comes from trust.

These words were spoken to people who were worried and afraid about what lay ahead. They were looking for security, making plans, and trying to protect themselves from what they feared might happen next.

God’s message to them was simple, but confronting. You’re looking for strength in the wrong place.

Quietness doesn’t mean doing nothing. Trust doesn’t mean giving up. Quietness is choosing to stop striving.

Trust is choosing to place the weight of your life back onto God. This is where waiting comes in.

Waiting is not wasted time. Waiting is where trust is tested.

Jesus says the same thing in His own way.

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.”

He doesn’t say, “Try harder.”, “Get it right first.” Or “Be stronger.” He says, come.

Rest isn’t something we earn after we’ve done well. Rest is something we receive when we stop carrying what we were never meant to carry. And real strength grows from there.

Most of us don’t struggle to trust God because we’re rebellious. We struggle because we’re tired. Because we’re under pressure. Because we’ve learned to cope on our own.

Quietness feels uncomfortable when life feels uncertain. Trust feels risky when we don’t know how things will turn out. But God doesn’t meet us in the middle of our rushing around. He meets us when we slow down.

Often, the reason we feel so worn out isn’t because we’re doing too little. It’s because we’re carrying too much.

Practice for Today

At some point today, pause on purpose.

Sit still for a couple of minutes. No phone. No fixing. No planning.

Simply pray:

“God, I give back to You what I’ve been trying to carry on my own. Teach me to trust You here.”

Prayer

Father God, You know how quickly we try to take control. How easily we confuse busyness with faith.

Teach us the strength of quietness. Teach us what it means to truly trust You.

Where we are tired, give us rest. Where we are striving, bring peace. Where waiting feels hard, remind us that You are already at work.

Today, we place our weight back onto You. You are faithful. You are gentle. And You are enough.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.