Isaiah 40:27-31
27 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”?
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.
29 He
gives power to the faint,
and strengthens the powerless.
30 Even
youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
31 but
those 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.
As a junior high student, I had the privilege of making the soccer team. I was a bit naïve about how much running I had to do, and I learned rather quickly that to be committed to the soccer team meant running at least two miles a day, just in conditioning alone. I had to also run the drills and activities associated with practice. I have never been so tired and exhausted. After practice I had to use a muscle cream to ease the pain in my calves. The pain and exhaustion were so strong that stairs were a complete nightmare. I never was so tired and sore, and I was 12.
In our text from Isaiah, it says, even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted. I could relate to being weary and exhausted and more importantly I could relate to being so at 12 years old. The prime of my life, the strongest I will ever be and still sore, exhausted, and tired. Well I am not 12 anymore, I won’t comment on my age. But I certainly am tired, exhausted and sore emotionally. We are in the 3rd day of our quarantine and we are certainly tired of the bad news, exhausted from the constant worry and anxiety about empty grocery store shelves. Parents are like the old Christmas carol, waiting for school to start again. We are tired.
For the people of Israel in Isaiah’s time they also were tired. Tired of trusting in God and seeing and experiencing not the presence of God, but at times God appeared Hidden. The nation and people were tired of praying and pleading their case before God and at times God appeared to disregard their prayers and petitions even at times allowing the evil and wicked to prosper while punishing the innocent and righteous. This is when Isaiah speaks. 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. God had not fainted or gotten tired with them. God had not forsaken or abandoned them. God maybe was hidden from them, but God’s hiddenness was not necessarily an unhealthy thing. God’s hiddenness was just a reminder that God is god and they were but mere humans. For their sake God hid in order that they might seek and wait upon God. God is faithful towards them, but at times, particularly difficult ones, they would faint in their faithfulness towards God.
But I ask you did Jesus ever faint? He certainly was tired and frustrated: with his disciples, with the leaders, with the evil and wickedness in the world. But never once did he quit or lose his faithfulness to God. In his tiredness and exhaustion he waited on God to provide; those 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. When his human strength faltered, the divine strength filled and lifted him over the problems like an eagle in flight. When his human patience tottered, the divine patience covered, and he ran without ceasing. When his faith was tested and tried, the divine faithfulness supplied, and he walked, even to the cross and did not quit.
Will Jesus not help us do the same? If we are in Christ, then God’s strength surrounds and penetrates our weaknesses. If we are in Christ, then God’s patience lies behind and before us. If we are in Christ, then God’s endurance lies under and over us. If we are in Christ, then God’s grace lies to our left and right. If we are in Christ, even in our tiredness and exhaustion the Divine power and grace can and does lift us over our temporary problems like an eagle over the ground. Such is the love and power of God, that out of God’s good pleasure God would and does act to save.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, in this time of quarantine, no doubt we are tired and sore spiritually, no doubt we feel God is hidden from us and disregarding our prayers, but hear again the word of God: those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles. God is faithful to Jesus and we are hidden in Jesus through the Holy Spirit. God will therefore be faithful to us and give us strength to rise and overcome. Let us therefore wait on the Lord in prayer and gratitude and wait for the Lord’s promised deliverance and when God does, let us rise and fly! Amen.
Prayer
O God of Grace and Glory, you alone out of your good pleasure, choose to stoop down into our miserable circumstances to pour into us your power and your love. Stoop now to our tired, exhausted and weak minds, souls and bodies and supply your almighty power and love. Lift us above our anxieties and our trials and allow to soar with your Son in your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
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