INTRODUCTION
Is our
Christianity working for us?
Do we sense that
we are really following Jesus?
Are we growing …
growing into the likeness of Christ Jesus?
Is this “new
life” we are living, or just a bit of a reordered “old life”?
Are we just doing
appearance management?
Are there
relationship tensions in your life?
Do feelings of
spirituality come and go?
Does your
strength waver?
If these
questions resonate at all with us, then we should come to this scripture in
Isaiah and really meditate upon it.
Doubts had been
expressed about God’s capacity to help us, and such doubts were addressed in
very elaborate language.
Sometimes life is
harder than at other times. Also, some people do have a harder journey than
others.
However, having
Jesus in our lives, should be making a tangible difference.
This should be
our witness today to all those we encounter!
The faith that we
profess should be working in reality?
The ancient
people of Israel often found themselves pressured, threatened, or separated
from their land … forced to live in exile in a foreign country.
Often before
and during their times of trial they doubted God … doubting God’s capacities to help them
and liberate them.
[On another
tangent, after deliverance from trials the people of Israel often then took God
for granted! Also these people sometimes confused what they wanted with what
they needed according to God’s purposes for them.]
It’s okay, quite
human, to doubt God – but what do we do with our doubts?
Dwell on them?
Let them persist and grow? Or take them to God (and to God’s Word) … take them
into prayer?
When so-called
doubting Thomas resolved his doubts, how did he respond to Jesus???
“My Lord and my
God” (John 20:28)!
The prophet
Isaiah related God’s Word on this:
God is
incomparable – no one or thing can do anything for us like God can.
Have a look
around you! “Lift up your eyes on high and see” (v.26a). Lift your vision. God
is mighty.
God doesn’t miss
anything … from the biggest elements of the universe, to a bird fluttering in a
tree – to the deepest needs of a human soul.
We might at times
feel disregarded, or removed from God’s gaze.
Is it possible
that my complicated situation has escaped God?
Has God not seen
my need? Could God have possibly forgotten me?
What can we say
about that? What does God say?
We are reminded
about what we have experienced in the past.
We are reminded
about those good things we have been taught (v.28).
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.
The “everlasting
God”! There is no time when God is not aware of us … seeing us … caring
for us.
The “Creator of
the ends of the earth”!! There is no place hidden from God’s view.
God is there, God
is here; wanting to show us something, wanting to teach us something.
“God does not
faint nor grow weary”!
God has a high
level of investment in how our lives turn out.
So, God never
loses sight of us; God never tires from his interest in us.
God knows our
frailty, and loves us intensely. God holds his arms out to us.
“God’s
understanding is unsearchable [or, immeasurable, unlimited, outstanding,
perfect, awesome]”!
We can’t quite
fathom it all – but we can say that God’s understanding is awesome!!
So … there is
certainly no deficiency in God’s resources, availability or knowledge.
What does this
mean for us?
God can lift
us up when we fall down.
When we feel
weak, God is still strong. God can bring us through the most challenging trial.
This means the
way we look at things can be completely changed from the negative towards the
positive.
This can lift our
heads. This can un-hunch our shoulders (because our burdens become lighter).
This can bring
smiles to our faces. This can mean that we can glide slightly above the ground.
Jesus, our
Saviour, took our most pressing burden … the burden of sin, guilt and shame …
upon himself on the cross.
Jesus continues
to help carry our earthly burdens (as our greatest friend).
What was it that
Jesus said (totally consistent with the God Isaiah teaches us about)?
“Come to me, all
you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest”
(Matthew 11:28).
It’s like when we
go hiking and our pack just weighs that little bit too much. A bigger stronger
friend might take over our pack for a bit, while we recover our equilibrium.
Again and again
in the Gospels, Jesus came alongside people and caringly addressed their needs
and burdens – physical sight through to spiritual sight; debilitating illnesses
and destructive demons; addictions to certain behavioural patterns or simply to
money. Jesus helped people with every known problem.
Even the most
youthful of us, even the most mature of us, even the most confident of us, even
the most faith-filled of us, will grow weary in our human capacities, and will
find a challenge or two to be very testing; but what can we do?? What does
verse 31 say???
“Wait for the
Lord”, or, “wait on the Lord”!!??!!
With what
result???
Renewed strength,
the capacity to fly, the ability to persevere and keep going forward (and run
the race with joy).
“If you want to
fly like an eagle, don’t hang around with turkeys”!?!
Well we shouldn’t
take this too far, but accept the main point.
We should not
live according to a very low common denominator – just what everybody else is
doing or taking to be normal.
God is seeking to
take us to new places – the ways of “heaven” we might say.
We are not
to be defined by negative judgements {ours or others}, rather we are to be
defined by what God is doing in our lives (or, who we are becoming = ‘the
reward’).
When do you feel
you are flying? Not as often as you want to!?!
What does
it mean to “wait for the Lord”, or wait on God?
·
Often
translated in terms of “hope” and “trust”; so,
·
It is
to acknowledge that God is the centre of our best future
·
It is
to accept that God has our best interests at heart
·
It is
(absolutely) to have trust in God on a constant basis – it takes focus
and faith for trust to become our default position
·
It is
to put all our hope in God for the present and the future
·
It is
to see trials and difficulties, no matter how regrettable, as opportunities to
learn and grow (and deepen your relationship with God)
·
It is
to know that, even if we can’t see it (clearly) now, we will surely see it in
due course
·
It
means that we faithfully continue the journey while God answers our prayers
·
It
means to have a patient expectation that God will be present.
NB. This is all
the very opposite of worry and frantic activity!!
What does it
mean to have our strength renewed?
·
New
coping mechanisms
·
New
energy, enthusiasm, motivation
·
New
effectiveness, influence
·
New
faith
My moment of
understanding!!
Verse 31c
relating back to verse 28c “He does not faint or grow weary”.
·
Receiving
the capacities of God
·
Sharing
in God’s resources
·
Replacing
or exchanging our old worn out strength with God’s ever-resilient effectiveness
·
This
is a giving God … engaging with our frailty and weakness to provide fresh
strength
What do I
need to do?
1.
Wait
upon God i.e. trust God completely, (patiently) knowing that He is present with
me
2.
Focus
on God, and not so much on my problem areas; and seek wise counsel when I run
into blockages
3.
Share
life with good friends – tell my stories, hear their stories, and find out more
about this giving God who wants us to fly like eagles
4.
Don’t
allow myself to stall, constantly hesitating for everything to fall into place
(or to be resolved) – embrace the journey, live in the present, without
retreating
5.
Worship
God with all I have … in the company of other believers.
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