All right, all right, join the Journey family, friends, and guests.

You're listening to Join the Journey podcast with your host, Emma, daughter.

Thanks for joining.

Today, we're jumping into a portion of Isaiah that hits especially close to home for me,

and maybe for you too.

If you've ever tried to fix things on your own instead of waiting on God,

or if you've ever felt like trusting the Lord was just too passive or too slow, or if you've ever run to people, plans,

or quick solutions instead of prayer, then Isaiah 30 is going to read like a mirror and a mercy.

We're technically covering Isaiah chapters 27 through 31 today, but instead of

summarizing all five chapters, I want to zoom in on just a few verses tucked into chapter 30

that carry both deep conviction and deep comfort. Isaiah 30 begins with what, what might be the

title of every self-sufficient moment in our lives? Ah, stubborn

children. Stubborn children, God is confronting his people, specifically Judah, for making an alliance

with Egypt to protect themselves from Assyria. In other words, they're being threatened,

and instead of turning to God, they turn to the

very place where they used to be enslaved, Egypt. Isaiah 32 reads, they are set out to go down to

Egypt without asking for my or God's direction. And verse three says that Egypt's help will only bring shame. Why? Because

Egypt is not where salvation comes from. It never has been. And it's in this context,

in the middle of Israel's rebellions, self-reliance, and refusal to consult the Lord,

that we find the beautiful and heartbreaking words of verse 15.

Isaiah 3015 reads,

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, in returning and rest, you shall be saved.

...