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.” Isaiah 30:15 NIV
We can either learn from Israel’s mistakes or repeat them on our own spiritual journey. The key to spiritual strength, and the joy and peace that accompanies a right relationship with God, is repentance and trust. But God does not force us to live in obedience to His word, instead He gives us the freedom to choose. Time after time, Israel chose to do things their own way and suffered the consequences of their bad choices. Listen to the way this chapter begins, “Ah, stubborn children,” declares the Lord, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin. Isaiah 30:1 ESV
As you read through Isaiah 30 you begin to understand that they had reached a place where everything was about to fall apart. They were struggling and they were not going to be able to hold it together much longer. Perhaps you’ve reached that place as well. Sin has a way of taking us there. At first it seems harmless, in fact, it usually seems very appealing and satisfying, but that never lasts. It’s not until it has a strong hold on you that you begin to see it for what it is, and realize you need God’s help to break free. But how do you ask Him for help, when you turned away from Him and did what you knew He didn’t want you to do in the first place? You may be well aware that you’re starting to reap what you’ve sown and have no one to blame but yourself. If that’s you today, be encouraged by the heart of God in this verse:
Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him. O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you. Isaiah 30:18-19 NASB
If you have been struggling with sin, don’t allow the enemy to tell you God has lost His patience with you. Even if you have developed a pattern of continual sin, don’t believe He has written you off! Listen to the truth of God’s word today. The prophet Isaiah was delivering God’s word to the children of Israel. There is no greater example of spiritual failure than the people of Zion. They fell back into sin again and again and again! Don’t miss God’s heart in these verses. He longed to be gracious, to forgive! He waited eagerly for them to repent and turn back to Him so He could have compassion on His children! This is our God. He feels the exact same way about you. He will surely be gracious at the sound of your cry! When He hears it, He will answer you!
And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:20-21 ESV
Perhaps you’re at a crossroads, a critical point in your spiritual journey where your life could go in either direction. Adversity has a way of sending us in either one direction or the other. We tend to either submit to God’s ways, humbly repent and follow His path or we head down the wrong track. The choice is yours, God has given you the freedom to choose. He does not force you to submit to His authority, but because He loves you He allows you to bear the consequences of your sin so you will repent and come back to Him. Which way do you want to go?
“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.”
These verses and theme were life changing for me very recently. ..i was reminded that i did not want to choose “Egypt” as Judah did over the spirit of God…
If God gave you a direct choice to repent and believe if you wanted to return or listen to voice of deception and so.etching was stopping heart from believing and he asked do you want to return it had a scripture stuck in head Hebrew 6 but now want chance to repent and return but heart and mind are messed up and I felt him or heart be hardened through unbelief I want him back
Marsha, sin may have messed up your heart and mind, we all know it has the power to do that, but, it is not too late to repent and turn back to God! He loves you and will receive you back just like the father of the prodigal son ran out to greet his son and celebrated his return. 1 John 1:9 says this, “If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.” Don’t let Satan use Hebrews 6 to keep you from repentance, that’s not what that passage is intended to do. As long as you have breath in your lungs, you have an opportunity to cry out to God and restore your relationship with him. Remember, NOTHING is impossible with God!
I encourage you to search “repent” in the search bar at the top of this page and read some of the other posts on the topic. If you’d like to discuss this topic privately, you may email me at GripTheSword@gmail.com.
I also struggel with the warnings of hebrews. I am pursuing repentance but i struggle with the thought that God has rejected me.
Just a reminder, Jessie, that God loves you and will never reject you when you turn to Him.
Jessie, keep praying and seeking God. Repentance means turning in the opposite direction. While you make the necessary changes in your life, know this, God has not rejected you. He paid a very high cost to offer you salvation and he will not give up on you without a fight. Pursue God with all your heart and you will find everything you are looking for.