God’s Provision for man's problems

BY JOSEPH TAN

ISAIAH 30:15 (ESV) “For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength. But you were unwilling.”

There are ups and downs in our daily lives – at workplace, health issues and family relationships. Some problems are easy to solve, but some difficult. During this season of social distancing, worsening of the economy, many are experiencing fear and foreboding feelings about the COVID-19 pandemic. When I am faced with problems, I get very upset, anxious, disturbed and frustrated. How about you? How do you cope in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic and the many problems and issues that it has generated?

The world reacts in noisiness and actions. We hear and see more and new protests in countries worldwide. People are showing their frustration and anger when things do not go their way.  They protest and violence breaks out. They start to blame and point finger at one another. But God says in Isaiah 30:15, “The quiet man is the strong man”. This verse tells us that when we are quiet, we will be strong. When our mind and inner spirit are quiet, we will be calm and be in a better position to think, see and focus when dealing with the problem. 

When I learned to take the step to be quiet, pray and commit my problem to God, and meditate on His promises, I have peace and find strength to overcome my problem instead of grumbling and complaining about the problem. The three key words in this verse that have helped me when I face problems are: 

• Quietness towards God

In Psalm 46:10a, God wants us to “Be still and know that I am God”. We need to take time to be quiet before God and worship Him in the quietness of meditation, trust and worship. We must not allow work and busyness to take us away from this quietness before Him. The quietness in God has help me not to focus on the problem but to draw strength from God and to see His direction. He helps me to look at things better and clearer. He gives me inner peace to engage and resolve the problem His way.

• Quietness towards circumstances

The world always complains about circumstances. But God’s word says in Philippians 2:14 that we should not complain. Philippians 4:6-7 saysthat we shouldnot be anxious, but to commit whatever circumstances we face to God in prayer. If we follow this teaching, we will see two results in our lives. We will have peace instead of unrest and as in Philippians 4:11, we will have contentment instead of complaints. When I learn to come to God and commit my problem to Him, I find inner peace instead of living with unrest. He grants me a contented heart instead of anxiety and complaints about the problem. I also find strength to face my problem and overcome it.

• Quietness towards opposition

We always find our old nature wanting to respond angrily to those who oppose or criticise us. The world says we must fight back. The Bible says as believers, we should not. In 1 Peter 2:20-23, Jesus has given us a good example in which we need to follow.  From these verses, we learned that Jesus was reviled and suffered at the hands of the sinful men. In verse 22, we learned that Jesus had done nothing to merit this revilement and suffering. Jesus was innocent, sinless. How did Jesus react to His enemies? (1) Jesus was quiet. He did not retaliate. (2) Jesus committed Himself and the situation to His Heavenly Father. In verse 21 we learned that Jesus left us an example so that we might follow in His steps. When faced with opposition from our critics, we should be quiet and commit the situation to our Heavenly Father and entrust ourselves to Him who will judge justly. Finally, God wants us to make it our goal to live a quiet life (1 Thessalonians 4:11) and to have the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit (1 Peter 3:40). As a result, we will be strong and able to respond well to the problems we may face in our journey through life.