Preface: I'm teaching at Chuck's small group tonight while Chuck is in Los Angeles teaching Doctor of Ministry candidates. I wanted to share some of the things I am learning as I study the passage he assigned me, Isaiah 40:9-31. (By the way, for those who might not know, our rock guitar loving Worship Pastor, Chuck, is an Old Testament scholar, complete with a Ph.D., and is on the faculty of Houston Graduate School of Theology. I'm glad he left me with some of his notes!)
As we grow in our relationship with God, there is a crisis we face at least once. We find ourselves in a situation where we are desperate for a certain thing to happen. We pray and pray, yet nothing happens. Worse yet, the wrong thing happens. In that moment we wonder if God has forgotten us, of if he even cares about things important to us. In Isaiah, God puts it like this:
First, let's not be too hard on ourselves. We are not the first people in history to feel this way. The words of verse 27 are used by God to identify what the people were feeling, so this is nothing new. It seems to be in our fallen nature to think God has abandoned us or just does not care when things don't go like we think they should.
Second, we must remind ourselves there is a reason why God is God and we are not. In the verses immediately previous to verse 27 God has been reminding us of his greatness, his supremacy when compared to us. In the face of such greatness, who are we to question what he allows and disallows, when he intervenes and does not intervene? Remembering the greatness of God helps us believe He knows what's best for us.
Third, we must trust him. Following verse 27 we are reminded again of God's greatness, specifically with regard to his endurance and wisdom in comparison to ours. The good news is that he imparts his strength to us. In some of the best known words of Isaiah we read,
There are many things that test us in life. Among the most difficult are the ones we don't understand. It is in those moments, those moments when we feel pushed beyond our ability to understand or endure, that we have our greatest opportunity to put our trust in God.
As we grow in our relationship with God, there is a crisis we face at least once. We find ourselves in a situation where we are desperate for a certain thing to happen. We pray and pray, yet nothing happens. Worse yet, the wrong thing happens. In that moment we wonder if God has forgotten us, of if he even cares about things important to us. In Isaiah, God puts it like this:
Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? (Isaiah 40:27, NIV)What do we do when we feel like that, forgotten, even ignored by God?
First, let's not be too hard on ourselves. We are not the first people in history to feel this way. The words of verse 27 are used by God to identify what the people were feeling, so this is nothing new. It seems to be in our fallen nature to think God has abandoned us or just does not care when things don't go like we think they should.
Second, we must remind ourselves there is a reason why God is God and we are not. In the verses immediately previous to verse 27 God has been reminding us of his greatness, his supremacy when compared to us. In the face of such greatness, who are we to question what he allows and disallows, when he intervenes and does not intervene? Remembering the greatness of God helps us believe He knows what's best for us.
Third, we must trust him. Following verse 27 we are reminded again of God's greatness, specifically with regard to his endurance and wisdom in comparison to ours. The good news is that he imparts his strength to us. In some of the best known words of Isaiah we read,
"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:29-31, NIV)"Those who hope in the Lord..." Some translations say wait, but perhaps the best word is "trust." Certainly trust would be required to wait or hope, for we need to trust in God's ability to deliver if we are going to "wait" or "hope." In order to do either, we need to remember God's supremacy in all things, just as we have been reminded in the preceding verses.
There are many things that test us in life. Among the most difficult are the ones we don't understand. It is in those moments, those moments when we feel pushed beyond our ability to understand or endure, that we have our greatest opportunity to put our trust in God.
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