“This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.’ You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’ Therefore you will flee! You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’ Therefore your pursuers will be swift!”
(Isaiah 30:15-16)
Has your trust been broken and betrayed in the past? Do you have a difficult time trusting the deepest part of your heart to anyone? Or perhaps it even affects your relationship with God?
The pastor who abused me spoke as if he was the voice of God and he abused God’s Word to get what he wanted. This betrayal often interferes with my willingness to trust God. Are His motives pure? Are His intentions for good, not evil?
I long to quietly trust God with all my heart, and my heart hurts that I let the past interfere with that. But it’s so hard sometimes… That uninvited hand of fear squeezes the courage out of my soul and slams the door to my heart, and I don’t allow Jesus to reach and heal the deepest parts.
One day a verse I read in Isaiah 30:15 really punched me in the gut. “But you would have none of it.” Ouch! The truth hurts. Then in verse 16, the Amplified Version reads, “We will speed (our own course) on horses.” And “We will ride upon swift steeds (doing our own way).”
When fear springs at me like a hungry lion, I hop on my swift horse and gallop, hoping to flee. To flee that powerless feeling, that old feeling of when I had no control over how someone hurt me. I don’t even take time to put on the whole armor of God. I speed away in my own course and way, thinking I need to take control in order to be safe. Only to find that the enemy runs even faster, trying to drag me down. The only way to strength and quietness is to stop my horse, fall off into Jesus’ safe and loving arms, and surrender my swift horse to Him.
Does this sound familiar to you? Do you long to surrender all control to God, but you feel so helpless to do so? God doesn’t condemn us for our weakness to trust, because He loves us so unconditionally. He gently whispers, “My child, trust Me. My motives are pure. My love is genuine. You are so precious to Me and I will never, ever hurt you. I earnestly wait for you to fall into My arms.”
“And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you.” (Isaiah 30:18 AMP)
“When I am afraid, I will trust in You.” (Psalm 56:3)
Here’s something to try when we’re afraid:
When I am afraid of _______, I want to trust in You, because You are _______ and You have promised _______.
And as we immerse ourselves more and more in His promises, we will be able to say with all our heart, “I will trust in You!”
Dear God, You have all power and grace in Your hands. Please break this cycle of fear in us and teach us how to give up our swift horses of fear and control. Help us to fall into Your arms with a childlike trust in Your strength, Your way, and Your time. Help us, please, to separate the truth from the lies. Please powerfully pry open our hearts to Your love and to Your healing of the wounds deep within us. Please help us to surrender to Your control, to believe in Your truth, and to trust You with all our hearts, souls, mind, and strength! In Jesus’ Name, Amen!
Freed to Fly 