Isaiah 40:21-31

By V. Bruce Rigdon

Have you ever felt as if there were no hope for anything good in your life to happen, as if every possibility for your dreams to come true had been destroyed? That was the plight of those to whom this passage is directed. Babylon had invaded Judah, destroyed the Temple, threatened all of the institutions from which the people expected God’s faithfulness to be manifested and had carried many of its inhabitants into a long and bitter captivity. How could things have been worse?

The prophet’s words remind his readers and all of us that God is not like any other god. God is the source, the creator of everything that exists. God actively cares about everything that exists. Past, present and future, all things are in God’s hands.
We cannot hide from God or presume that God does not know or care about our affairs. God is the source of all the energy in the cosmos. Nothing exhausts God, and God gives life, energy, and renewal as God sees fit. Therein lies our hope!

God cares about us so much that God strengthens the weak, the faint, and the powerless. Doesn’t that describe us? And if we get tired and grow weary or grow old and sick, God renews our strength so that we can walk, run, and, yes, even fly. It’s enough to cause a rebirth of hope! So, what do we have to do to experience this renewal of courage and hope? “Wait,” the prophet says. Wait for God to act. And in the meantime live as if the promised reign of God is already here!

Prayer

Loving God, teach me to see your presence in the world around me and to respond to the needs of my neighbors, especially the weak, the powerless, the poor, and the discouraged. Amen.