The Unsurrendered Hustle

When your greatest strengths become your biggest stumbling blocks.

I am characterized by speed, hustle, action, problem solving, execution, results, grit, and persistence. And while these aren’t bad traits, I’m currently getting schooled by God in how much these traits (when not surrendered) become tripping stones in my walk with God.

I’ve been having morning quiet times with God after spending a decade of fiercely protecting my mornings for “sacred time”. And letting go of that idea hasn’t come easily to me. I also realize the irony here is that I’ve been calling it sacred time and using it for work and not God related matters. 🙄🤦‍♀️

No matter how amazing, restful, illuminating my morning time with God is (and it always is and I think to myself my goodness this is amazing), the next morning I feel my flesh saying, “Hurry up Julie. You’ve got stuff to do. Maybe answer that email first and then read your Bible.”

You’d think I’d learn after four months straight - that God is able to use the time I do have to be more productive and effective. I even tell myself this, but it doesn’t stop the wrestling.

And that’s what I realized… maybe the wrestling will never stop. On this side of heaven, I will go to battle with my flesh every morning and choose whether to listen to my logical brain, or my spirit.

I’ve been reading through Isaiah and this verse came up the other day and I wanted to share some of the deep dive I did on it.

“This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.’” - Isaiah 30:15

First, I took the four words (repentance, rest, quietness, trust) and did a quick word study.

• Repentance - שׁוּבָה (shuvah)- Meaning: To return back

• Rest - נַחַת (nachaṯ) - Meaning: To settle

• Quietness - שַׁקֵט (shaqet) - Meaning: Undisturbed

• Trust - בִטְחָה (bitḥah)- Meaning: Secure confidence

How many of those words describe you? How many of those words describe the trendy and viral social media content that goes out in droves day after day? How many of those words do you associate with the presence of the Holy Spirit?

What a stunning upside down description of the markers of a person walking with God compared to what society elevates.

Here in the Old Testament, we have Isaiah the prophet declaring the path of salvation for the Israelites. He says repentance brings deliverance from sin, deliverance from fear, striving, chaos, and spiritual danger. It’s a call to stop running, stop performing, and instead to return. Reorient yourself back to God.

But He also specifically says “and rest”.

This isn’t the first time God has spoken about rest. Rest is a foundational part of His character. He Himself rested on the 7th day. He instructed His covenant people to do the same.

Repentance means to turn back around yes, but what do you do when you turn to face Him? Do you spin in guilt? Strive to prove yourself? Work yourself into performance and actions that prove your worthiness?

Rest is a posture of safety. It’s saying “I trust I am safe here with you.” God doesn’t just want us to turn away from our sin, He wants us to REST in His provision and His ability to fix what we’ve messed up.

Remember that we have to see the scripture in the context it was written, to fully understand how revolutionary God’s words were here.

This was the late 8th century BC, during a time when the kingdom of Judah (Southern Israel) was terrified of the rising power of Assyria, the brutal empire swallowing up nations left and right.

Rather than trusting Yahweh, Judah’s leaders were secretly planning to form a military alliance with Egypt - hoping Egypt would protect them from Assyria. Seems 100% reasonable to me.

But God says, turn BACK to me and then rest. 😳

Whereas Israel wanted control, speed, certainty, and power, God was offering what appeared to be the opposite.

Then the word continued. “In quietness & trust is your strength.”

He’s saying in your undisturbed restful posture where you’re fully confident in God, you will have strength.

I’m laughing as I type that because that is so opposite of how I operate, it’s uncanny.

God is upside down from our flesh, from the world, from our political structures, from our social hierarchies, all of it.

There’s no better picture of this than choosing a TINY unknown nation like Israel to bring forth the savior of the world.

Jesus continued to preach this upside down message when He showed up with the Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes. The poor, the mourning, the meek, the hungry, the merciful, were to inherit the Kingdom of God.

In this ancient word from Yahweh in Isaiah, He’s anchored these four things- repentance, rest, quietness, trust- to a relationship with Him. When you turn back, it’s to someone. When you rest, you rest in someone. When you feel quiet, undisturbed, and trusting, it’s in someone.

Sure it’s easy to rest and trust when nothing is wrong and everything is safe, but these are words of instruction to the Hebrews in the context of national panic, crisis, and stress.

This is God’s prescription for crisis and when you’re stuck in the consequences of sin.

I encourage you to look at how many times God talks about rest, quietness, peace, stillness, repentance, and trust.

If you’re looking for evidence of the Spirit of God working in someone’s life, look for these qualities shining forth more and more.

I end with the last part of this verse. It hangs in the air a bit but I think it’s intended.

“But you would have none of it”.

It’s easy to read an ancient book and think that we would act differently than Israel in that moment. But it’s not true.

My prayer to God…

“You’re right. I would have none of it, but I don’t want that to be my legacy anymore. I repent of my unsurrendered hustle and insistence on not resting in your leadership. Help me to turn to you in rest and quietness. Help me to stay undisturbed when things look a mess. Help me to trust you in the tangled up situations that seem unsolvable. Give me the strength to reject my flesh and the push to rush and hustle and figure it all out. Thank you that EVEN in my running away, even in trusting in my own strength, you were faithful.”

xx