Silence, Strength and Salvation

Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.
Isaiah 41 v 1

The great continents of the earth are but tiny isles before the might of the Lord. His little finger can move all the land masses or cause it to stand. All of humanity inhabiting these continents need to be silent when they enter the awesome presence of the Lord. Silence and reverence is a form of worship that pleases the Lord and heals and blesses our souls. We must stop the seemingly ceaseless chatter of our brains which resemble the waves of the seas and oceans and find our rest, solace and strength in the Lord. We must silently meditate on the greatness and goodness of God and of how His love is practically demonstrated to us through the grace of Jesus. Each of us as we dwell in silence in the presence of the Lord is like a tiny isle surrounded by a mighty ocean of God’s love and power.

When we spend time at the feet of Jesus meditating in silence on His word, our strength will be renewed. The strength of our spirit will be renewed with hope to make us soar like eagles and run like an untiring Olympic marathon runner . The strength of our minds will be renewed so that we are more joyful and peaceful, more confident and less fearful or worried, more sure of what we need to do, more resolute to get things done, more patient to wait for the results of our efforts with faith. The strength of our relationships will be renewed so that we will be more forgiving, more wise, loving , patient,humble, gentle and understanding. The strength of our bodies will be renewed so that we will be more youthful and bounding with health and energy. The measure of our strength should not be something expected, ordinary or natural but it should be of an order that can only be described as supernatural and miraculous.

We must draw near to the Lord. The most personal and intimate relationship in our lives must be with the Lord. We must not hesitate to unburden ourselves daily by sharing our challenges and difficulties with Him and invite Him to either intervene or give us the strength to endure and overcome. We must communicate and share with Him our most dreaded fears, our secret desires, our fond hopes, our deepest feelings about all the aspects of our lives. It is not because He does not know but as He loves to hear it from our own lips. We must confess our faults and failings, our shortcomings and weaknesses to Him and He will erase or blot it out of His judgement to come. We must plead for the mercy and salvation of others even as Abraham pleaded for Sodom. But we can go confidently to the judgement seat of God as it is intended to reward us for our just deeds and not to penalize us for we are already judged when we identified ourselves with the death and resurrection of Jesus. Faith has three functions: to bring us into alignment or justification or in a straight line or personal relationship with God, to strengthen and bless us in this lifetime and to be the root for good words and deeds to spring up from.

Prateep V Philip