Songs of the Scripture - Pt. 5

 

To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? 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. (Isaiah 40:25-31 ESV).

 

We cannot leave yesterday’s reading without going a bit further. Today’s reading follows Isaiah’s first stanza detailing the comfort of the Lord. This one contains one of the most familiar verses of encouragement in all the Bible: 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 (v. 31).

 

In my experience the difficulty with this promise is in the “waiting.” It is true that waiting can be filled with eager anticipation — children waiting for Christmas; teens waiting to get their driver’s license; adults waiting with joy for their wedding day or for the arrival of their first child. However, there is also a more difficult side to waiting. Parents wait anxiously for a medical assessment after their child has had an accident. When we have lost a job, or when a spouse is critically ill, we wait with heavy hearts for an indication that God is watching over us and providing for us in our need.

 

Isaiah 40 begins with words of comfort and ends with words of hope. Those who wait on the Lord and put their hope in him will be renewed; “they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” As wonderful as these promises are, we can all testify affirm we long for our days of waiting to be over as our need for comfort continues. Is our hope in the Lord in vain? Far from it! Jesus, the Lamb of God, is on the throne. We are called to rest in the truth that Jesus has come and is coming again. Just as the promises of Jesus’ first coming were all fulfilled perfectly, so shall those concerning the Second Coming.

 

Doubt your doubts… never your faith!