Rest in God’s Promises

In times of uncertainty and fear, trusting in God's promises and remembering that we belong to Him provides hope and strength to endure life's trials.

We are living in very trying times. The government is “shut down,” people are not getting paid, many don’t know how they will purchase groceries, and others are uncertain if they will receive their rental assistance. The ripple effect could devastate our economy and destabilize our society.

Anxiety and uncertainty are on the rise, and social unrest threatens our democracy. We haven’t seen this level of instability, at least not in my lifetime, although our nation has faced many crises—the Great Depression, recessions, and the pandemic. Still, in a post-COVID world, our psyche is not what it once was, and things feel different.

Our Reason to Rest

But this is the beauty of a relationship with Jesus—we don’t get rattled by the vicissitudes of life. We rest in Him, knowing He has promised never to leave or forsake us. We rest in His promises to love, provide for, and protect us as we go through life’s storms. He is our firm foundation upon which our trust, hope, and lives are built.

We find one of His many promises in Isaiah 43:1-2, NASB:

But now, this is what the Lord says, He who is your Creator, Jacob, and He who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you.”

From the Lord’s message to the children of Judah, we glean two fundamental principles of trust that should govern our relationship with Him.

1. Don’t Feel Afraid. Isaiah prophesied hope to God’s people, who were being punished because they sinned against Him. They suffered many troubles—famine, pestilence, disease, and captivity—yet they still belonged to God.

Despite all that had transpired and whatever speculations made them anxious, the Lord encouraged them not to fear. Fear is the opposite of faith. It is a lack of trust in God's goodness and greatness. Their chastisement wasn’t the result of a no-good God; it was an act of His love to bring them to a place where they could experience the covenant blessings He promised through Moses.

Their suffering was not because God was too weak to stop the Assyrians or Babylonians; it was an act of His sovereign will to use these two nations as His instruments of correction, nations He would later exact His retribution upon.

Like Judah, we may be uncertain about how exactly things will play out, but we are sure about Who will cause all these things to work together for our good. When we reject fear, we affirm our faith in God to preserve and protect us during difficult times because we remember that we belong to Him.

2. Don’t Feel Abandoned. Nothing could be more assuring to the children of Judah than to know that God still considered them His possession. He had invested too much in their relationship to discard them so easily. He delivered them with an incredible display of power after enduring four centuries of bondage in Egypt. He established a covenant with them at Mt. Sinai, pledging an oath to be their God and to make them His everlasting possession. None of that had changed. In fact, their liberation and covenant were to be their constant assurances of God’s steadfast commitment to their well-being.

But because things didn’t go how they thought they should or wanted them to be, Judah lost confidence in God’s affection for them and ability to protect them. His response was to reaffirm His loving loyalty to them through His inseparability from them, no matter the situation. The heavy tides of life would not wash them away. They would not be buried beneath the flood of problems that flowed their way. They would not be consumed by the fires that kindled around them. They would not be harmed by the hardships they suffered. They would persevere.

This teaches us that trouble doesn’t mean God is absent. Our ability to endure proves to us that He is there. God uses tribulation and affliction to accomplish His perfect work in our lives. He wants us to trust that He will be present for us. 

Our Reminder to Rest

Bad news is breaking by the hour, and despair is sweeping throughout the land, but children of God are exhorted to maintain their faith in Him because He is faithful to His covenant. Life’s circumstances may, at times, seem to question God’s fidelity, but He reminds us of His promises because we are His people. Let us rest in Him as we rest in them.

Dr. Isaac Hayes is an Assistant Pastor at the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago, Illinois, and author of Men After God’s Heart: 10 Principles of Brotherly Love. He also has a Doctor of Ministry degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Follow Dr. Hayes on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube at @RevIsaacHayes.