The Word of the Lord came to Isaiah and reminds us today that “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength” (30:15). In this world and in the world of the prisoner-contributors for this month’s Anchor, there is not often an abundance of repentance, rest, quietness, or trust. Sometime there is no trace of these at all.

“Isaiah 30:21 means a lot to me because it tells me that God is with me at all times, no matter where I go.”

The Lord is gracious to us when we cry for help, answering us as soon as our prayers go up to Him. We may not always like His answer. Verse 20 refers to the “bread of adversity” and the “water of affliction.” In decades past, “bread and water” might have been the most minimal meal possible given to prisoners as a punishment. As believers in Jesus, we know Him to be our Bread of Life (John 6:35) and our Living Water (John 7:38). He endured the greatest adversity and affliction ever so that we could be His children and know, “This is the way; walk in it.”