It had been a hard week for some of my friends. They shared of painful or difficult circumstances, asking for prayer that God would move. I found myself wishing I could buy two cups of coffee – one for me, one for them – and somehow show up on each doorstep to visit for a few minutes. But these were online friends and miles separated us.
But His Word spanned the distance as I read the words in front of me, “If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God.” (Isaiah 50:10, NLT)
When we are walking through dark times, may we trust and rely:
- TRUST in the Lord.
- RELY on your God.
Trust. Personally, I think we throw the word around casually. God is calling us “to attach ourselves” to Him with a firmness that is unshakable (from the Old Testament Lexical Aids, The Key Word Bible). Need help with this? Picture your toddler, hanging onto your leg while you try to wash dishes. Remember the fierce grip? Yeah that … hold onto, attach yourself to God in just that way.
Rely. “It denotes an attitude of supporting oneself upon something” (Old Testament Lexical Aids, The Key Word Bible). Again, may I offer an image … It is similar to an older person needing the assistance of a cane or walker.
So now we have these images of trusting and relying before us, but what are we NOT to do in those hard times of darkness?
“But watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires.” (verse 11)
We are not to make our own solutions. Don’t, in a sense, strike your own fire. Don’t remedy the situation as you think best. Wait on God. Hang onto Him, letting Him lead and direct your paths. Ask Him for wisdom and understanding. Lean on Him with all your might, for waiting takes strength and courage.
Trust and rely.
He’s calling us to live just like this.
Today I am joining … #SmallWonder and Playdates With God and Sharing His Beauty and Inspire Me Monday and #WordsWithWinter .
I’m right here with you, Joanne. I actually wrote today too about one of my friends who had a horrendous week last week. 🙁 (Well, longer than that.) Trusting in the Lord and relying on God is my biggest hope for her. Without him, things look too dark. Praying for your friends too..
Lisa, prayed for your friends as well. I am so glad that He truly does bring light into our situations. May we not lose hope for our friends!
Deep wisdom here today. Thanks for reminding us. God bless you, neighbor!
Thank you & I am grateful for you. Blessings!
How cool when we can reach out to those we never met in person … and when they reach out to us in our deepest need. I’m with you, Joanne … grateful for the give and take that true relationship provides … in person or out there somewhere.
Have the loveliest of weeks …
Linda, it is an amazing richness which comes with relationship. May you have a great week too!
Ah Trust… it has to be intentional to really be trust, right? As in… we have to choose to trust… to decide ahead of time and right there in the midst of things! I love the visuals – so accurate and true!
Karrillee, yes it is a choice we make. May we choose to hang onto Him, leaning on Him until the light dawns. And I want to make my choice quicker. Not after I’ve kicked & screamed a bit 🙂
I needed this! Thanks so much!
May He strike a light right where you are, Elizabeth!
Love Isaiah 50, but have never looked closely at this verse. What a timely word. Trusting that you will discover His path to being of help to your friends in need.
Thank you, Michele. May we each trust & rely on Him to light our way.
joanne, i love the illustration of trust. i can still remember that attachment of the toddlers to my leg:) they were not going to let go! understanding my need for GOD in that way…on a day to day level? great! helpful word picture! thanks.
Martha, isn’t it funny how we do not forget how tight those little ones held onto our legs. May we have a tight hold on Him always!
I love the word picture of a small child hanging on to her mom’s leg while she does the dishes – of attaching ourselves to Jesus.
I confess, that too often, I try to “strike the fire” first before hanging on to God for help.
Thanks for sharing your insights. I appreciated them very much! 🙂
Karen, for whatever reason, your comment made me sit & think a bit. Isn’t it funny how when we strike our own match, we often run in order to avoid getting burned. In striking our own match, instead of trusting & relying on Him, we often make a mistake. Thank you for stopping & making me think even more on this. Blessings!
It’s oh, so very hard to turn my independence over to God. I’m not sure where I picked up my know-it-all beliefs, but I do know that God has been working in me to teach me this lesson!
Anita, your comment on “know-it-all beliefs” reminded me of a quote I read today & shared on twitter >> “It’s what you learn AFTER you know it all that counts.” (John Wooden) Let’s keep on learning :):)
Thank you, Joanne, for putting a picture to those words, making them come alive for us. When I think of trusting God, I will now have an image pop up in my mind. I know I’ll stop back here again to read this post. It’s a gem.
Blessings,
Janis
Thank you, Janis. Your words encouraged me greatly today!
Joanne, thanks for your encouragement to trust our God. I know we are to lean not on our own understanding and so I loved the picture of the toddler with the leg hold! Pressing into Jesus so we lean not. Pressing in and persevering in our trust – only experience teaches us that He will never fail us. Bless you for sharing here today.
Jeannie, your comments have so encouraged me. Yes, we are not to lean on ourselves. But we do lean – we lean on Him. May we make sure we are leaning on the One who will never be moved.
Joanne, as a word girl I appreciate the imagery your illustration adds to these these common words. Such great visuals! Have a great week.
Thank you, Wanda, for encouraging me. I have to say … I have missed linking up with you each week 🙂 Blessings!
Trust and rely, so true, but so hard. Grace to you, Joanne.
It can be hard, Kelly. But as we remind one another, hopefully we will find it easier. Community is so important for this very reason. Blessings!