I'm particularly interested in how the New Testament
is shaped by the Old. And of course, there's
no place better to go than Isaiah, to just dwell
in Isaiah and let that speak and try and get
what Isaiah is saying. So I've been pottering
around in Isaiah for these last number of months,
meditating, chewing, occasionally going to somebody
much cleverer than I am just to check out my
Hebrew. That is Eric Ortlund, of course. But
I came across this verse, Isaiah 35, 4, and I've
now been personally meditating on it for about
six months. And I'm wrestling with it, wrestling
with the application of it. I came across it
initially, coincided with the launch of the MACCL
back last September or so. And it was a time
when I realized coming up towards our first residential
intensive and I thought I am feeling really anxious
and worried about this and I was noticing how
I was feeling about it and here I was at this
first residential with students who are wanting
to learn more about leadership and I'm encouraging
them in the necessity of growing in self -awareness
in order that we might become safer. more faithful
leaders, steward our power more faithfully as
we are more aware, self -aware, and use every
means possible to grow in that self -awareness.
And here I was being aware, beginning to be aware
of some of my own unhealthy reactions, or more
aware of my unhealthy reactions. I was noticing
a certain fear and a negativity and an anxiety
and frequently anger. And rather than just attribute
that to my scottishness i thought this might
be something good to talk with someone about
just to to chat through so rather than be a hypocrite
and encourage others to take every means of growing
in self -awareness and not do it myself i thought
i'm going to try and meet with somebody and chat
some of this through and so for the first time
in my life i've been meeting with a counselor
and that's been a really interesting process
really that word interesting process right it's
been provocative it's been challenging and it's
been helpful it's been really helpful one of
the first things that that this chap said to
me it sounds terribly simple almost trite was
stop just stop breathe stop breathe Slow down.
Recognize and welcome the Lord's promised presence.
Pause before you respond. Now, that sounds really
simple, doesn't it? But actually, it's incredibly
profound. It's incredibly difficult. For someone
like me, especially. I've always been, I've got
a busy brain and I'm quick with the answers.
It's a great defense mechanism. To pause, slow
down and wait. I've just about chewed my tongue
off in the last six months trying to do exactly
that. But this advice is also incredibly helpful.
And I want to offer a bit of a meditation on
what I think is one of the biblical bases for
this, which is in this verse, really verse 4
of Isaiah 35. And I hope that it might help you
as much as it's helped me. And I'll just share
this very much in first person, and if it applies,
if it fits, great. And if it doesn't, you can
head off to lunch and just go and enjoy your
lunch after this short meditation. So, the text
of Isaiah 35, 4, to look at the Hebrew more literally,
what struck me and really smacked me in the face
was this. Although it's translated fearful, I
think that was in the NIV, it's translated the
anxious of heart in the ESV, the Hebrew is literally
the hasty of heart. Say to the hasty of heart.
And that's what made me sit up and take notice.
Because the idea of being hasty of heart rather
than just anxious of heart seems a much richer
concept to me and a concept that gives itself
much more to practical application. So it says
literally, say to the hasty of heart, be strong.
Don't be afraid. Behold, your God comes. And
he will come with vengeance. And he will come
with, I think the ESV puts it, the recompense
of God or the benefits of God. It's the same
word used there as in Psalm 103, getting all
his benefits. So he comes with, God comes, he
comes with vengeance, with the recompense or
the benefits of God, and he will come and save
you. So that idea of not so much anxiety or fear,
although those might be symptoms of it, but fundamentally
a hastiness of heart is the concept that I have
been wrestling with. For someone always in a
rush, beginning to reflect on that has been really
rich and challenging. I reflected on the harm
that I have done over my 57 years when I have
responded hastily to things. When I have gone
with the hasty heart and let that determine a
response or an action. And then reflected on
the times when I may have waited and not let
that hasty heart determine a response, I thought,
are there any times where that's done harm? And
I had to conclude, well, no, I can't think of
any. Partly because there aren't many, but I
can't think of many. So what I want to do then
is just explore that basic idea in this text
and then unpack the text a wee bit more and think
about some of the practical applications of it.
The idea is something like this, that as we are
going through life, we receive various stimuli,
various things that provoke us, that demand some
kind of response. Our hearts, if you like, are
provoked. There's some form of stimulus that
acts upon our hearts, and then there's some sort
of response or outcome as a result of how we
process that stimulus, right? the hasty heart
will respond in certain ways. The text goes on
to say that the first thing to say is, be strong
and don't be afraid. The implication is that
the heart that responds hastily is one that is
weak and fearful, first of all. And so, thinking
through this text, What is it that my hasty heart
needs to have said to it so that I respond rightly
and not respond in the wrong kinds of ways? So
I respond in ways that are honoring to God, pleasing
to Him, and not in ways that aren't. And there's
the four things here then that need to be said
to my heart. Behold, your God comes. He comes
with vengeance. He comes with benefits. And He
comes to save. And so think about each of those
four in turn and think about how the application,
stopping and pausing long enough to speak those
things to a hasty heart before responding. The
first one, God comes. Our God. He is present.
If I forget that fundamentally, then my responses
can be all kinds of unhealthiness. How often
I've been forced to challenge myself on this.
How often do I stop simply to acknowledge that
fundamental promise? I will be with you. Behold,
I am with you to the very end of the age after
Jesus has given the great commission. I am with
you, Emmanuel, God, with us. How often in the
average day do I actually simply stop to recognize
I don't feel this. I don't see it. I am not consciously
aware of it. But even just simply to stop and
remember that promise. and keep reminding myself
of it and i'm ashamed to say that in the average
day i'm so busy getting on with stuff that i
stop so seldom to remind myself of this basic
fundamental promise god is there so number one
to stop the lord is present he says i am with
you that's his promise regardless of how i feel
or how i see things And then let my actions be
in accord with that promised presence. The second
thing is, he says, God comes with vengeance.
If I rush past that point, if I forget that God
is the one who comes to avenge what is wrong,
He is the one who comes to bring justice and
judgment. If I rush past that and forget that
and then let my actions play out accordingly,
then I very quickly become frustrated and angry
and at times despairing. I default to being judgmental
of all the stuff that's wrong and I want it to
be put right. But it's when I rush past, God
is the one who brings vengeance. angry responses
to things that happen in life my my tendency
and i notice it to to find myself verging into
beginning to to hate the world and get angry
and frustrated instead of loving people and serving
them are when my hasty heart rushes past the
fact that god is the one who brings vengeance
he is the judge he will sort it He will bring
justice. And I can leave that with him because
it's not my job. Speak to my hasty heart. God
brings vengeance. And God is the one, thirdly,
who brings benefits. Forget not all his benefits.
If I rush past this one and forget that God is
the one who is good and he is generous. And he
wants what's best for me more than I want what's
best for me. And he wants what's best for the
people I love and care about more than I want
what's best for the people I love and care about.
And if I rush past that point too quickly, I
can then slip into things, ugly things like insecurity,
like fear of failure, like a chronic negativity.
Like a fear that I'm unloved or unlovable. And
then I begin to relate to others out of that
place. And it's a much less healthy place to
relate to people out of. But to relate out of
a place that stops long enough to think of the
Lord who is present, who will bring justice and
who brings benefits because he is good and he
is for us and not against us. To relate to others
out of that place is entirely life transforming.
That changes all of my relationships with those
around about me. That's good for me and it's
good for those around about me. And lastly, fourth,
the God who comes. And we'll save. And if I rush
past that and forget that, if my hasty heart
responds without remembering that first and rush
past this fact that He is the one who saves and
He brings salvation, then I'm going to try to
do it myself. I'm going to try to justify myself
instead of repenting. and letting Him do that
justification. I'm going to get defensive if
I'm challenged. I might try to control and direct
others as though I am the Savior and God isn't.
All these are features. Maybe you identify with
some of them. Maybe you don't identify with some
of them. If you don't, you're a better man or
woman than I am. But these are all the things
that need to be said to the hasty heart. God
comes. He brings vengeance. He brings justice.
He brings his benefits. He's good and he's for
us. And he is the one who saves. And you and
I need to stop frequently about once every 30
seconds or more. And just recall. Remind. These
things are true, however I might feel about them.
And if my reactions and responses to the people
around about me are shaped by stopping long enough
to remember, that's going to be good for me.
It's going to be good for the people around about
me. It's going to be good for the world. So there's
some meditations on this text of Isaiah 35, 4.
I wonder if we could all just stop now for a
few seconds in prayer as we close. Just breathe
deeply. Just stop. Breathe. The Lord is present.
He promises to be. And say to your hasty heart,
be strong. Fear not. Your God comes Your God
comes with vengeance Your God comes with benefits
Your God comes to save Thank you, Lord Jesus.