By Hall Green
Pondering Prayer
A single verse from Isaiah has touched my life deeply over the years. Whenever I pray through it, the anointed words have not failed to quiet and strengthen my soul: “For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15).
It is never too late to return to God. I have witnessed persons returning to God after years of seeming alienation, for whatever reason. Perhaps it was due to suffering and not believing that God was there, that God could or would save them from their painful state of helplessness and aloneness. Yet this single verse offers an extraordinary promise from the God of Israel, which God alone can fulfill.
Recently, a close friend, who had been an avowed atheist for decades, finally returned to God. Living alone, he had to put down his beloved dog of 15 years. On returning home, weeping, he discovered what he could not deny was a sign from God. His dog was to be cremated. When he went to pick up his little dog’s bed next to his own bed, he found ashes in the dog’s bed and all around it. This could not have just happened. He sensed that it was a miracle and came to believe that his dog was not only a gift from God but had brought God to him. Broken by grief, he was at last open to the love God showed him.
The ancient rabbis said that whenever you turned or returned to God, no matter what your circumstances, you would have an immediate audience with God. Even if you did not feel it at the time, God would hear you and respond in some way.
God heard me back in May 1967, when as an agnostic young man, sitting at a bar in Salt Lake City, I turned to an unknown God and asked for help. I finally, fully realized that without God, life had no meaning or ground. The following November, God touched me at a prayer meeting, changing my life forever.
Jesus came to call us home to God, regardless of where we were. He said, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt 11:28-30).
Good will come from your returning. You will attain a Sabbath rest with God and receive strength for life in the simple quietness and trust in the God who has saved you.
(Hal Green, Ph.D., is author of Pray This Way to Connect with God. You can contact him at drhalgreen@gmail.com.)
