Today I continue our series “Pop Verses.” We are taking a closer look at some of the most popular Bible verses. We are finding out why they are so popular and how they apply to our lives.
Quite often our favorite verses are just that – they’re verses. They’re not read in context. This can lead to a misunderstanding about the meaning of the verse. I believe this series is giving us a lot of food for thought about these popular verses.
Today our pop verses come from the prophet Isaiah. It is a beautiful passage that has given comfort to many people through the years – Isaiah 40:28-31. Let’s read it together:
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 strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; 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. –Isaiah 40:28-31
That is a very uplifting passage isn’t it? I know many of you have been comforted by it. I know I have. I believe we need to be comforted by it today. We need this passage now more than ever!
This has been a very difficult year and it is only half over! And what about the last couple of weeks? The shootings in Dallas – the displays of hate and bigotry are overwhelming. And just this week there was another terrorist attack in France. 84 dead, more than 50 injured. The bloodshed, violence, hate and shootings continues to surge our world. I don’t know about you, but lately I have been asking, “What next?” I know I’m not alone. How many of you have been asking that? What next? What awful violence is going to happen next? What kind of shooting is going to happen next? What act of terrorism is going to happen next? What act of bigotry and hate is going to happen next? In this 24 hour news cycle world it is hard not to ask that question. What next?
Three times the word “weary” appears in our passage. I don’t know about you but I am getting weary of all the brutal violence and hate. I imagine many of you are weary too. We desperately need the promise of this passage – for God to give us the strength and courage to rise above the evils of this world – to run with joy and never lose hope. In this desperate time of ours we need the hope and power of God.
This is what the people of God would need too. They were about to be exiled by Babylon and held captive. Isaiah knew they would be tired, frustrated and afraid and so he proclaimed God’s comfort and power to them.
The Bible is the living word of God, and God wants us to hear his message through Isaiah today. Right now! I don’t believe it is an accident that this is our passage for today. We need strength. We need hope. We need power. We need to know that love is greater than evil!
Perhaps you need this word in your personal life as well. Not only do the horrific events in the world have you weary, but the events of your life are wearing you down. Maybe it seems like your life is an endless cycle of sufferings – loss, death, regret, broken relationships, physical pain and exhaustion. When you see that this text promises God can renew your strength, give you power to fly above your troubles, and give you endurance in life you think, “Yes Please! Where do I sign up? I could use some of that right about now!”
I think all of us could use the power of God right now. But how do we find it? Are these words from Isaiah just false hope? Is Isaiah just waxing poetic about God to make us feel better, or is he really telling us something we can grab on to today? Yes, Isaiah 40 is a beautiful read, but how exactly do we find renewed strength? How do we find the ability to rise above our problems like eagles? How do we get the courage to walk through life unafraid?
Well, not only is this passage from Isaiah beautiful, it is also very practical. The prophet doesn’t just tell us that God can give us power and strength. He tells us how we can get it! So I want us to take a closer look at the passage and find out how we can grab on to it and apply it to our lives today. If you listen closely and open your heart, God will renew your strength and give you power for the living of these days.
Isaiah tells us that God is not a temporary God, a limited God, a part time God, or an absent God. What does Isaiah tell us?
The Lord is an Everlasting God. –Isaiah 40:28
And that means something to me! Yes, it means that God is forever. He is the beginning and end. He will last forever. But for me it also means that only an everlasting God has the patience and longsuffering to outlast evil! You see, as bad as the shootings, violence and bloodshed are, they are not everlasting. They will not last. They will fade away. Only God is everlasting. Only God has the strength, wisdom and patience to outlast evil.
Remember on the cross God defeated evil. And all this stuff going on is evil throwing a pity party. Evil knows it is has lost and God has won. And when the kingdom comes all wounds will be healed and all tears will be wiped away.
When Tony Campolo was 16 years old he attended his first funeral at a black Baptist church. “I was there,” Tony said, “because my good friend Clarence had died. He wasn’t young, but he wasn’t old, and my heart was broken that my friend had died so suddenly.
“The pastor began the service by talking about the resurrection and the glory of that day. He left the pulpit and spoke directly to Clarence’s family. He talked to them about the 14th chapter of John, where Jesus said, ‘Don’t let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God. Believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions. I wouldn’t have told you this if it weren’t so. And I’m going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go there and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself.”
“Then the pastor did something strange. He turned from the family and approached the casket and began addressing the dead man. ‘Clarence!’ the pastor said. ‘Clarence!’ He said it with such authority, Tony says, ‘We expected Clarence to sit up and say, ‘Yes, what do you want?’ ‘Clarence,’ the pastor said, ‘you left us too fast. You left us too soon.’ And he recalled the story of Clarence’s life. He told Clarence of the ways in which his life had blessed the church, blessed his family, blessed strangers and people in his neighborhood.
“‘Now, Clarence,’ the pastor concluded. ‘We have said it all, and there’s only one thing left to say.’ And with that the pastor grabbed the lid of the casket and slammed it shut with a resounding BANG!
“‘Good night, Clarence!’ The pastor turned toward the stunned congregation and said again, ‘Good night, Clarence!’ And then, with a sly smile, ‘We’ll see you in the morning.’
“‘Good night, Clarence,’ the pastor said. ‘Because God is going to give you a good morning up there. Good night, Clarence, because God is giving you a good, good morning. I know, I know,’ he said, ‘I know there’s a good morning up there.’ And the organ began to play and the choir began to sing, ‘On that great gettin’ up morning, we’re going to rise, we’re going to rise. On that great gettin’ up morning, we’re going to rise.’
“And the pastor and the congregation began to sing with them and the people moved into the aisles hugging and crying and laughing and crying some more, clapping and singing and dancing with the choir and with Clarence and with the great cloud of witnesses who have gone on before” (nextreformation.com).
We have a God who is greater than evil and death. This is why Isaiah then tells us next this empowering truth:
He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. –Isaiah 40:28
We faint and grow weary, but our Lord does not! We may get tired and feel hopeless but God does not! We may get discouraged, but God does not! And why? Well, because God is God! But more than that, God’s ways are higher than our ways. God can operate in this present world in ways that are beyond us! That is why it says, “God’s understanding is unsearchable” or unfathomable.
We can’t understand how God can and will operate in the midst of evil and pain, but one thing we do understand is that God is working in this world. And when we realize this we are empowered and strengthened. So, are you faint today? Don’t lean on your own understanding. Lean on God and he will give you strength. Do you feel powerless today? Lean on God and he will give you the power and patience to live outlast evil.
Someone once said that “To say God’s understanding is unfathomable is to rest on a wisdom, greater, kinder, gentler and more clever than us.” Trust that God is working and that he can redeem our suffering.
But how do we do this? Maybe for some of you today these are just words. They are not penetrating the pain and horror you feel inside. Well take a look at what Isaiah proclaims next. He tells us how to trust God and find the strength we need right now:
Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength… -Isaiah 40:30-31
Did you see it? 6 words: Those who wait for the Lord. Say it, “Those who wait for the Lord.”
What does this mean? Isaiah is telling us not to ask “What next?” Instead ask, “How is God going to show up next?” That is what means to wait for the Lord.
Waiting for the Lord means to turn to God in the midst of violence and wait expectantly for him to show up. And when we do we will find that God does shows up. Christians are people who are always waiting expectantly for God to show up! We are always looking out for glimpses of God.
When we wait for God in the confidence that he will show up, we find strength. That very act of waiting for God gives us hope and strength. Today’s message:
Instead of asking, “What next?” ask “What will God do next?”
Where do you see God at work? Yes, we all see the awful reports and stories in the news, but what we don’t see enough? You know what we often don’t hear about? The way God responds to the evil, pain and suffering in this world. Because let me tell you God’s power and love are alive and well in the midst of suffering and evil. Wait on that. Put your faith in that and you will find renewed strength. Take a look at what Isaiah says occurs when we wait for God to show up:
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.
One translation of the phrase, “mount up with wings like eagles” is “they shall put on wings.” I like that. Those who wait expectantly for the Lord will put on wings and rise above the difficulties of life. Waiting on God gives you wings!
So where exactly is God showing up in this messed up world today? Did you see what happened in Dallas this week? We posted the amazing story on our Face Book page. Here is the story:
“After five Dallas police officers were fatally shot at a Black Lives Matter protest in response to the officer-related deaths of two black men in Louisiana and Minnesota, Americans were left wondering how divided their nation is.
“If some events during this week are any indicator, then there might be more hope for unity than originally thought.
“According to a CNN video posted to their Facebook page, another Black Lives Matter protest began in Dallas. A counter-protest formed across the street.
“A representative from the Black Lives Matter protest and a representative from the counter-protest met each other in the middle and shook hands. The Black Lives Matter protesters crossed the street and joined forces with the counter-protesters.
“The CNN video showed men and women both black and white introducing themselves to each other, embracing one another, shaking hands and offering words of encouragement. Someone could be heard saying, “We’re all brothers and sisters” in the background. Another, ‘This is how you kick down a wall.’ One counter-protester told the camera, ‘We all matter.’
“‘It’s time to stop this today. No more walls,’ said the Black Lives Matter representative. ‘Today, we’re going to show the rest of the country how we came together,’ said the counter-protest’s representative. The two men had their arms around each other.
“After everyone came together for a group hug, the participants joined together in a circle of prayer for their city. The officer who was guarding both sides also joined them” (source: cnn.com).
Folks, God is at work in this world. God shows up! Don’t ask, “What next?” Ask, “What is God going to do next?” Waiting for him will give you wings. Be on the lookout. God will show up! Count on it! Amen.