“In repentance and rest is your salvation” (Isaiah 30:15). Repentance is an ongoing part of our Christian experience - 2 Corinthians 12:21
emphasizes the need for continuing repentance. We have been saved. We
continue to sin. We must seek, by God’s grace, to maintain our
repentance. Rest is part of our redemption in Christ. To be “redeemed
from the hand of the foe” (Psalm 107:2)
means the beginning of rest, the beginning of deliverance from
the oppressor. This does not mean that the perfect state has been
reached. Still, there is “wandering in desert wastelands, finding no way
to a city where they could settle” (Psalm 107:4).
In Christ, we have entered into our rest. Still, however, there is
restlessness - a God-given restlessness - as we continue to hunger and
thirst (Psalm 107:5) for “a city where they could settle” (Psalm 107:7),
a heavenly city that is permanent, and not merely transient. In His
faithful love, God assures us that He will lead us to this heavenly city
where we can settle forevermore (Psalm 107:7), rejoicing in “His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men” (Psalm 107:8) and praising Him who satisfies our hunger and quenches our thirst.
What God did for His people, Israel, was very great. There is a striking contrast between their slavery in Egypt and their abundance in the promised land. God had multiplied His blessing upon them, just as Jesus did when He turned water into wine (John 2:1-11). If the blessing is to be maintained and increased, we must honour the Lord. We must cry to Him for blessing: "Hear my prayer, O God, listen to the words of my mouth." We must call upon Him with faith: "Surely God is my help; the Lord is the One who sustains me" (Psalm 54:2,4).
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