Here Is Your God, Part 3

Here Is Your God, Part 3 Here is your God! That is the message of Isaiah 40. In two previous studies, we have looked at verses 1-26. Isaiah began with a message of comfort in verses 1 and 2: Comfort, comfort my people says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. God goes on to remind them of His power to deliver them as in verses 25 and 26: To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal? Says the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. But the people of Judah were not trusting Him. Instead they were complaining. The last portion of the chapter begins with their double complaint, expressed in verse 27: Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”? First, they complain that their way is hidden from God, that God does not know their problems, that God does not understand their needs. The second complaint goes further. They accuse God of deliberately disregarding their needs, that He does not care for or help His people. Such complaints dishonor God and must be confronted. First, Isaiah declares that God understands everything. Nothing is hidden from Him. In verse 28 He declares: Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. Of course God knows your problems. He is not weak like us. He is the everlasting God. He is the Creator who made all, controls all, and understands all. He never grows weary. He is always alert and aware. His understanding is beyond our comprehension. He knows all. Then, Isaiah declares that God does intervene to help His people. He would not disregard those who trust in Him. Listen to verses 29 to 31 as he concludes this chapter: 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. God is promising to enable the captives to return from Babylon. This will be a 3 ½ month journey on foot. Even young men would grow weary for we are weak. But the LORD will provide for His people. He gives strength to the weary and power to the weak. He will provide strength for the long walk home, soaring over obstacles like eagles and even running at times. But ultimately God enables His people to walk without fainting. Most of life is a long walk. We can all be encouraged by finding strength in God by faith to complete our journey. But a new attitude is needed. Complainers are not overcomers. They were doubting God, not trusting Him. They were fixated on their circumstances, not on their God. As a result, they had lost hope. God wants His people to wait on Him. “Wait” is the word the translators of the KJV chose to use in verse 31: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. So, what does it mean to wait upon the LORD? First, to wait is to expect. When you expect something good, you wait for it. Expecting God to act is the opposite of doubt. Expecting God to provide is the nature of faith. Those who wait expectantly on God will not be disappointed. Second, to wait is to look for. When you are waiting for a traveling guest to arrive, you will often look out the window to see if they are arriving. Waiting is looking for God to act, rather than just looking at the circumstances. We build our faith by thinking of what God can do. Hunger for God causes us to wait for Him, looking to see His intervention on our behalf. And third, to wait is to hope. The NIV translates it hope in our text. Hope is a confident expectation of future blessing. Hope enables us to endure troubles patiently. God rewards hope. Listen to the words of David in Psalm 40:1-4: I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Literally, David begins with “Waiting, I waited”. David’s waiting was active for he cried to the Lord. And God heard him and delivered him. Waiting brought blessing, not just to David, but also to many who would see and hear of God’s help. When we make the Lord the object of our trust, we are enabled to wait on Him, and we are brought into His blessings. We have a long walk home. Our home is in heaven, and our life here is our journey there. Along this road of life, we can grow weary and weak, we can grow tired and stumble, and we can begin to focus on circumstances and to complain. But we can choose to wait on God, to expect God to act on our behalf, to look for God’s intervention on our behalf, and to hope for a bright future. God promises that if we will wait upon Him, our strength will be renewed. Are you waiting upon the Lord? Do you struggle with doubts? Choose to expect God to provide. Are you overwhelmed by problems? Look to God, not at circumstances. Does your future look bleak? Put your hope in the certainty of God’s blessings. Do you need His power in your life? Put your faith in Jesus, then wait for Him and receive His Spirit. Let us choose to trust in Jesus. Let us choose to believe God’s word. Let us learn to wait upon the LORD!