Day 202, or July 21. Today is the day to repent. Our thoughts today come from Isaiah chapter
30 verse 15. This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says, In repentance
and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have
none of it. First the big picture surrounding this verse. As Isaiah comes toward the end
of his condemnations of Israel's neighbors, there are some lovely pearls of encouragement
from God. Sadly, they are not always accepted, but it reminds us that God is not simply a
condemnor, but a source of encouragement and hope.
The Now Today's Action Step The world of the 21st century is so active
that it could be excused for thinking that doing things is the way to a satisfied and
complete life. Isaiah tells us on God's authority that it is quite the opposite. He uses four
words to describe what our persona should be. Repentance, rest, quietness and trust.
Real contentment always begins with repentance, and the others are then consequences. Repentance
comes in many varieties. The most important is toward God when we confess our sinfulness
and inadequacy before the God who made us. This is the most important step you will ever
make if you see it through to receiving God's gift of eternal life. You can get more help
with this by listening to Day 21 again. Repentance towards others is vital too, otherwise
you will get more and more knotted up inside as you carry a load of unforgiveness around
with you. An often forgotten act of repentance is inward repentance, the act of forgiving
yourself for doing, thinking and saying the wrong things at the wrong time. So do you
have any repenting to do today? Could you use the rest, quietness and trusting attitude
that Isaiah talks about? Well, you know where to start now, so why not make a note to listen
to today's reading again next week to see if you've actually repented, or are you no
better than Isaiah's hearers?