He stirs up the seas, and quiets the storms! A look at Isaiah 51.

Before I started writing this post, I grabbed my Bible and began praying. I really had nothing on my heart that was begging to be made into a blog post and because of this uncertainty, I prayed.  I asked God to lead me to a verse from which I could develop a post that would glorify Him and be something that you readers and I really needed to hear. I flipped my Bible open, landing on Isaiah 51:9-17, a verse that I can't remember studying before.

Now, I hesitate to use the word "ironic" because God is sovereign and He knows exactly what He's doing, therefore, nothing is truly "ironic." As I read through Isaiah 51:9-17, though, irony was the only term I could think of.

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that I've written about the Lord delivering me from anxiety issues that had been harbored in my heart nearly my entire life. I know many of you struggle with this as well. It's incredibly easy for us to build an altar for our fears - no matter how rational or irrational they are. It's easy to give them all power over our lives, never begging God to intervene because we can "handle it" ourselves. How many times to we fear the world and all it entails only to push God, maker of the world and ruler of our lives, out of the way so we can engage in self-soothing round of worry. (Self-soothing and worry may sound like an oxymoron, but for those of us who panic incessantly, we know that worry is what makes us feel better - as well as worse - and that's why we do it). I think Isaiah 51:12-17 speaks to this. Read verses 51:12-14, below, and see if you agree,

"I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, and have forgotten the Lord, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and you fear continually all the day because of the wrath of the opressor when he sets himself to destroy." 

When I sought the Lord for deliverance from the darkness of anxiety and the shadows cast by worries of this world, I was able to see the above illustration quite clearly. He allowed me to see. I was looking inward, as many of you may be today. The world constantly tells us to "look for the power within yourself," "aim to be the best you, you can be," "work on your image," "love yourself," etc. Looking inward, focusing on ourselves, only magnifies our altar of worry and discontent; and, the bigger and bigger we build our altars, the smaller and smaller we see God. Once we repent, however, and accept that God is the only one who can lift the darkness of anxiety or any other stronghold that's keeping us, we can enjoy His full majesty once again - or for the first time, perhaps. He frees us! The following verse (v. 14) sketches out the very result of faithfulness and repentance I've described:

"He who is bowed down shall speedily be released;
he shall not die and go down to the pit, 
neither shall his bread be lacking."

What a beautiful and comforting truth.

I realize that I've posted similar write-ups on this blog, but there's really no limit on illustrating His glory through posts such as these, is there? It's also important to remember that we can be right back in the darkness if we allow our focus on Him to fallow. He is the one who comforts us. It is written, and it is true. If you have anxiety or any other stronghold, remember that He is the one who stirs the seas (v. 15) and He will calm the storms of your life; just seek Him.

If you feel that you've been sucked into the pits of this world, I would love to pray for you to receive deliverance today. Feel free to email me: tess [@] tapestryofthemundane [.] com (brackets and spaces removed) or leave a note in the comments box below so other readers can pray for you, too.

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This post is linked up to Grace Laced Mondays, Better Mom Mondays and Just for Fun Fridays

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