O Lord, be gracious to us; we have waited for You.
Be their (our) strength every morning,
Our salvation also in the time of distress. Isaiah 33:2
While we may live in a time when God has exhausted his patience and is through our own devices severely judging us collectively, or about to, we who believe can rest assured that we will be protected, even in death. We have confidence in knowing our fate has been sealed, and we, like Stephen with stones raining down upon him, can cast our eyes to heaven and ask forgiveness for our enemies and commend our spirits to Him (Acts 7:54-60). Those who wait on the Lord will gain new strength each morning. We are solely dependent on the Lord’s right arm, for no one is stronger. All is lost without His aid.
And He will be the stability of your times,
A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge;
The fear of the Lord is his treasure. Isaiah 33:6
Not only is almighty God our strength, but He is our stability and salvation. No matter how unstable our world becomes, He is our impregnable rock (verse 16) and our salvation (Psalm 62:2,6). Only those who know they will be saved can stand their ground. They do not fear the enemies around them but the Lord. When we cry out in times of trial and desperation, the Lord gives us wisdom and knowledge, even if only to remind us of the wealth of his attributes which are in our physical possession.
Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts;
Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an undisturbed habitation,
A tent which will not be folded;
Its stakes will never be pulled up,
Nor any of its cords be torn apart. Isaiah 33:20
In times of distress, our tendency is to seek out security. We want to be tightly moored when seas become angry and winds begin to whip through the trees. But we are described in the Word as tents (2 Corinthians 5:1) as we traverse the earth, which in my experience (Boy Scouts) can never withstand life’s ups and downs. We direly need an “undisturbed habitation!” Here as in many other places in the Word, Jerusalem is described as such a place. Now perhaps more than ever is that city besieged on all sides. I am no prophet, but I say with absolute assurance that this city will never be uprooted or its cords severed. Perhaps we take this illustration to heart as we seek out strength, stability, security, and salvation in the worst of times?
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