What was it like for the prophet to speak the words we read in the 40th chapter of Isaiah? What must he have been experiencing as he had yet another glimpse into the awesomeness of God? The chapter begins with words of comfort and ends with words of encouragement, renewal, endurance. We see pictures of our tender Shepherd and images of our great and powerful Creator God. The same hands that cradle the lambs are the hands that measured the earth's waters. Some of the most beautiful and memorable verses in the Bible are found in this chapter. They are so often quoted and sung that I wonder if we miss the power and majesty they describe?
It's impossible for me to put myself in the place of Isaiah, but how he must have been reeling as he uttered those prophetic words! He must have been weak in the knees as he tried to grasp the true impact of God's message. Maybe we need a bit of that sense of total awe and wonder in the presence of God's holiness! That the God who holds the earth in the palm of his hands is the same God who gently carries his children like little lambs, who lifts us when we're too weak to take another step, who renews our strength so that we can soar like the eagles.
Wait for the Lord. Watch him. Be willing to be awed by the presence of God. Be willing to open yourself to the presence of God in your life. Don't underestimate God's power and desire to reach into your situation - to renew your strength, to be your comfort, to make crooked paths straight, to give power to the faint.
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God the Creator of the ends of the earth. (Isaiah 40:28)
*******************************
Note: After I wrote this in my notebook, I read a post on Facebook from my favorite author, Francine Rivers. I have to share this God-inicidence:
Sometimes the pain of removing what holds us captive is frightening. Yet if we lay aside all those things that encumber our walk with God, we will walk and not grow weary, and fly on wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31)."
'via Blog this'
No comments:
Post a Comment