Today's Reading:O.T. - Isaiah 40 - 42
N.T. - 2 Corinthians 1:3-11
Focus Verses: Isaiah 38:12-16
1Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. - - -
28Do 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. 29He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31but 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.
Insight:
The themes of judgment and rebuke in the first thirty-nine chapters of Isaiah can be tough reading. There are glimpses of hope and promises of renewal sprinkled throughout those chapters, but the overwhelming message has been a call to repentance, and as we read it we sense the dark shadow of impending disaster. In chapter forty, Isaiah's message takes a decidedly strong turn toward a message of hope and redemption. Instead of calls to repentance and weeping, there is a promise of comfort. Tiredness and weariness, the prophet says, will be replaced by hope for all who trust in the Lord. Those who stumble and fall will now experience the renewal and strength God can give.
Response and Action:
My faith in God can sustain me through times of hardship, pressure, and suffering. God promises comfort and deliverance for those who trust and hope in him. Faith in God makes it possible to have patient endurance through times of trial and despair. God promises me renewal, resurrection, and rejoicing. I will fix my hope firmly in Him.
O God, you are my God. I seek you because you are my hope for life. When I am weary, comfort me and give me strength. When I stumble and fall, pick me up and give me a solid place to stand. When I am downcast, be the wind beneath my wings and help me to rise up and soar like the eagles. Bring me through sadness and sorrow and help me to rejoice in you. Amen.
Proverbs: 22:4
"Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life."
Resources:
Waiting: Finding Hope When God Seems Silent
by Ben Patterson
