A Prayer

Father,

Through Your prophet You have said, ‘in quietness and in trust shall be your strength’. We do thank You for this promise. There are blessings to be found here. And we so need those blessings.

There are times when life is just too filled with issues to be faced, question to be answered, problems to be solved. And as a result, we feel frazzled and tired and drained. But You promise strength to deal with all of this. All we need do is quietly trust You.

But Father, it’s sad to say that sometimes quietly trusting You seems out of reach for us. Our souls are not quiet but agitated. And as a result, we find that we are not trusting You but trying to do it all on our own. This is foolishness.

But we don’t always see it as that. Too often we get caught up with and follow the ways of so many around us, so many who are bustling about, trying to accomplish too much, so many who maintain the myth that life is about scurrying here and there to finish everything on that to-do list.

But then, there is Jesus. How refreshing to see Him in the Gospels, going here and there, doing so much – and yet never rushing about. He was busy, but not harried. He had much to do, but wasn’t stressed. He faced much pressure, but wasn’t agitated. Even as He went about doing much good there was a quietness about Him. His soul was at peace. What a contrast.

Seeing Him, we appeal to You. Help us to be like Him. He clearly was pursuing the calling You placed on His life, faithfully pursuing it every day. And by the time He died He had finished - finished! - all that You wanted Him to. But He never rushed about. Help us to see how His strength was found in quietness and trust so that we will be able to accomplish everything that You call us to and to do that without all the scurrying about.

Father, there is much that needs to happen in our world, much that really does need to be changed. But how can that change come about if we, Your saints, are frantically rushing here and there, but still never quite getting it all done. The world will not be changed by the Gospel until we believe Your promises, promises like, ‘in quietness and in trust shall be your strength’. Help us to believe them so that we will succeed in changing the world. Through Christ our Lord Amen.

Isaiah 30.15