Ssshh

I've had two really simple but profound verses going round and round my head all day today. I know the reason for the first one but not so sure on where the second one arrived from! I guess the best starting point would be to write out the verses.

1) "Not by might, not by power, but by the Spirit of God" - Zechariah 4:6 (finally found this thanks to good old Biblegateway.com!)
2) "In quietness and trust in your strength" - Isaiah 30:15

The reason the first of these simple statements is going round in my head is because of a gorgeous song I've been listening to. I found this song on a CD I'd never listened to before; it's one of Vianney's and one I'd not come across until now. The first time I heard it this week, I actually sat down and cried because the words were so powerful, culminating in the above statement.



I find it so encouraging because at the moment I know I lack both "might" and "power" in the physical sense of both words. I am unable to accomplish any of the things I would love to do, for God, for my husband, for my family and friends and for myself. I have no might, or strength, to give much of anything, but God still manages to use me from time to time, when I least expect it, and even when I don't realise I've even been useful!

Another way I look at that verse is that there are some things only God can do. I can wish to be well, pray to be healed and hope to be restored back to normal life, but in the end only God can make any of that happen, through His spirit. To me, that's such a comforting thought, because it means that it's not about how strong I feel or how much I will myself to get better - it's about God's spirit, God's strength and God's perfect timing.

I am finding it more difficult to pinpoint quite why the second verse, from Isaiah, is on my mind so much which makes me think God dropped it in there when I woke up today! It has been a verse that has been important to me in past circumstances; there is a little poster with it on, in the downstairs bathroom at my parents' house, which is probably how I came across it originally! It is another very straightforward verse, nothing too complex, and yet it speaks volumes to me. Maybe that's because I am most definitely a talker. I could talk for England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and maybe even beyond - and it's how I deal with most things in life, by talking. Talking to friends, talking to God, sometimes even talking to strangers on occasions!

However, the whole point of that verse is stillness, it's about being quiet and trusting God even silently sometimes, letting Him do all the talking for once! I remember I wrote a song a couple of years ago, based around that one verse, and that is now playing in my head as well - music is so much a part of who I am that it's one of the most powerful ways God and I communicate sometimes.

Another thing I love about the Isaiah verse is the implication that we gain strength just by trusting God and being still before Him. Again, that is something even I am able to do - to be still and quiet before God; it's encouraging to read that strength comes from the Spirit of God when we do. I guess that ties together both of the verses currently doing the rounds in my head; now I'm off to be quiet and still somewhere, then hopefully return stronger and more powerful! Here's hoping...