June 5, 2017
Isaiah 40:28-31
(All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)
Our featured Scripture is Isaiah 40:28 through 31:
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the
LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary.
There is no searching of His understanding. He gives power to the weak,
and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths
shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those
who wait on 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.
In order to be Over life’s challenges, troubles, trials, and testings instead of Under them, we are told to wait on the LORD, because (and it is very plain throughout the Bible) victory comes from God! (See I Chronicles 29:11; Psalm 98:1; I Corinthians 15:57). We learned in the last blog that to wait on the LORD we need to do three things:
• Realize that God is in control – we are not! And He being in control, we are to realize also that He wants to give us His best (see Matthew 7:11; Luke 11:13; Romans 8:31, 32), supplying “…all…our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19).
• Walk with Him (neither lagging behind or running ahead – see Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27); “Let[ting] the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16 – see II Timothy 2:15; 3:16, 17); and developing a prayer life for communication with God! (see Luke 18:1; I Thessalonians 5:17).
• Obey Him! (See Matthew 4:19; John 14:15).
By the way, a fourth thing should be added, because we are never meant to be in life’s journey alone! We need other believers in our lives for worship, teaching, fellowship and encouragement! (See Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; I Timothy 3:15; Hebrews 10:24, 25).
Now, what are the benefits derived as we wait on the LORD?
• First, our understanding of God is expanded! Isaiah 40:28 directs us to consider:
✞ “…the everlasting God, the LORD….” God is the self-Existent or eternal One – Jehovah! Although this is a basic attribute of God, we don’t often think deeply about it. But He has always been, is now, and always will be! This is why the LORD introduced Himself to Moses as “I AM WHO I AM.” (Exodus 3:14) – not I WAS, or I WILL BE, but I AM ! If you examine that passage in Exodus 3:13 through 15, God is pointing out to Moses that He is in the present at all times throughout history – past, present, and future – and all history is present to Him! He knows the end from the beginning! And that can be a great comfort to anyone going through a trial!
✞ “…the Creator of the ends of the earth…..” God’s creative powers formed far more than the earth! (See Genesis 1:1; Psalm 8:3; 136:5-9). And with science reaching farther and farther into the depths of the universe, it is mind-boggling to try to comprehend the power of the LORD who formed it all! And to think – this powerful God is our Heavenly Father who bends His power and strength toward us to make us strong!
✞ “…neither faints nor is weary.” It is hard to understand someOne who is pure spirit (see John 4:24). But God does not get tired nor does He need to rest! And so He can tell us, as He does in II Chronicles 16:9: “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” Of course, Jesus is in heaven in a physical body (see Luke 24:39; Acts 1:11; Hebrews 9:24; I Peter 3:22), but it is a perfect physical body, designed to live forever in the spiritual realm! Someday we will have such a body! (See I Corinthians 15:42-54; Philippians 3:21; I John 3:2). Another benefit of the eternally-living Lord Jesus, as it says in Hebrews 7:25, “He ever lives to make intercession for [us]….”
✞ “There is no searching of His understanding.” The mind of God is so much greater than what we can comprehend! Paul writes in Romans 11:33 and 34 (drawing on what is expressed in Isaiah 40:13 and Jeremiah 23:18 – see also I Corinthians 2:9-12):
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of
God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past
finding out! ‘For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who
has become His counselor?’
We can learn much about our God. But we are limited. I believe that in heaven our understanding will be greatly expanded. And one of heaven’s joys will be learning more and more just how great is our God!
Expanding our understanding is the first benefit derived as we wait on the LORD ! But there are more benefits – and we will be examining those in our fourth installment of Under Or Over?