God breathes life and promises strength to those who trust him
By Dean Collins
After God’s beloved had experienced judgment at the hands of the Assyrians and later the Babylonians, the 40th chapter of Isaiah describes a shift. Exile was ending, and God tenderly offered words of comfort and a promise of good news. There was a way forward and a path back to Jerusalem; uneven ground would be level, rough patches would be smoothed, and God’s glory would be revealed.
Isaiah described how fragile life is but how God’s Word can be trusted and would endure forever. Isaiah then reminds us that our lives also have limitations. We too are fragile.
“The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass.”
In Genesis 2:7 God breathed life into Adam. Every breath we take is a gift from our Maker. And in Isaiah 40:7 (referenced above), we see that the breath of God can also end life. Moses was fully aware of this and says as much in Psalm 90. His summary ends with a prayer that reminds us of God’s power and his purposes for us.
“You return man to dust and say, ‘Return, O children of man!’ For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers. So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
Isaiah opens chapter 40 with comfort and encouragement that exile is over and a new day has arrived, but his message seems not to have hit home. It doesn’t take long for the children of God once again to doubt and complain to God, even as their situation had changed for the good. The truth is that children of God both then and now quietly argue, rebel, and question God’s goodness and provision even as he demonstrates his loving-kindness to us each day.
How many times do we still seek to do things our way? And maybe for a season it appears we may have found our solution and gained some sense of power and control of our lives and situations. But sooner or later there are consequences for our quiet rebellion. I suspect none of us shouts in God’s face declaring we know better than the Almighty. Yet we willfully seek solutions without trusting in the Lord with all our hearts. Sooner or later someone will kick the support structures that are evidence that we are once again leaning on our own understanding. Such was the narrative of Isaiah.
But our loving and gracious God offers help and hope even as we attempt to limp along under our own strength. It seems that some days we act as if we don’t know or haven’t heard of the goodness and strength that come to us from Almighty God. Hear the Word of the Lord:
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Lord, forgive us for the many times we quietly try to do things our way when your Word and your Spirit tell us that everything we need is found in you and you alone. We welcome your comfort and know that even in this moment you speak tenderly over us to assure us you love us, will protect us, and will provide for us in every situation. Thank you that right now you give strength to us when we are weary. We wait on you to renew us so that we can mount up with wings like eagles, run and not be weary, and walk and not faint. With Moses, we pray that your favor would rest upon us and that you would establish the work of our hands. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your time with God’s Word
Isaiah 40:1-31; Genesis 2:7; Psalm 90:3-6, 12-17 ESV
Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash
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