Strength in the Waiting
Judah was in trouble from Assyria. Hezekiah had met Assyria’s terms and paid them money to back off, but Assyria took the money and continued to attack Judah. This is likely the backdrop to Isaiah’s words in chapter 33.
In these verses, there is a word for you and me as well. Imagine the strength and peace we might have if we took some or all of Isaiah’s prayer to the Lord at the beginning of each day? I don’t know about you, but I want the graciousness of the Lord on me every morning. Along with receiving God’s graciousness, we must learn to be patient and wait for God to do what is best for us. Waiting, of course, is hard for most of us!
The next line in Isaiah’s prayer probably needs to be on your bedside table or bathroom mirror as a reminder of the best prayer to start any day:
“Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.”
Isaiah saw and felt the weakness of Judah, and as the prophet prayed, he asked for himself and for all of those under his spiritual influence. Isaiah was asking God to be his strength. The prophet knew his weakness and the weakness of Judah. There was not a way forward if God was not the arm of strength for his children.
As we pray this prayer, we acknowledge that we, too, are weak. We are not strong enough to fight all the various things that come against us. We want God to be our strength when battling temptation. We want God to be our strong arm when battling illness. We want God to be our strength in times of hardship and opposition. We want God to be our strength in regard to our finances and our plans. In other words, we want God to be our strong arm every day in every situation.
We will need to decide whether we operate in our own strength or whether we surrender to the reality that we are no comparison to the strength that comes from God. To pray for God to be our strong arm each morning is also a confession that when left alone, we are indeed filled with weakness. The apostle Paul heard the word of the Lord when he was battling affliction:
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
God’s kingdom ways are so very different than ours. As hard as it might be logically, the more we admit our weakness the stronger we become in Christ.
God’s deliverance of Judah was not instant, but God kept every promise. As Isaiah’s prayer continued, he indicated that when God steps into the conflict, the dilemma, or the battle, the enemies flee. When facing a challenge, there is no one greater than God, who works through his Spirit in our situation.
Isaiah said that when the Lord is exalted, he fills the world with justice and righteousness and becomes the stability of our times. I suspect that the best way to end our morning prayer is with praise to God. As we lift up praise to our Lord, he steps into our day and provides the solid ground for us to walk upon.
So today, Lord, we ask that you be gracious to us. We wait for you to move in us before we take our next step. Be our strong arm this morning. You are our strength and salvation. We praise you, fully trusting that you are indeed the stability of this day. Thank you for your abundance of salvation and your wisdom. Use us today as you will. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Isaiah 33:2-6; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ESV
Photo by Kai Pilger on Unsplash
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