I don’t know about you, but as I read through this passage, I couldn’t help but hear the tune to praise song, “Indescribable” by Chris Tomlin. There is a fancy word for what we see happening here. It’s a disputation. In other words, it’s a debate or argument, and in this case, an argument that demonstrates the greatness of God. You see, the people who were living in captivity, hearing these words of comfort, needed to be reassured and reacquainted with their LORD. Their trust had to be rebuilt.
Think of a time when you were going through a difficult time. If someone had told you not to worry, that it was all going to turn out all right, would you have believed them? It would depend on who it was and how much you trusted that individual. These verses are helping reestablish the trust and relationship that had probably been damaged or may not even exist in the first place.
The debt of sin that had cut these people off from God had been paid and now it was time for the lost nation of people to return and be shepherded once again. As we sit here today, in our own world of chaos or uncertainty, we can be assured of the same promise. Our sins have been cleansed because of what our Savior has done. We can sit in awe of a mighty God just like those hearing Isaiah’s words for the first time.
What image of God struck you most in today’s reading? “He picks up the whole earth as though it were a grain of sand.” Have you ever played on the seashore and made a sand castle. A grain of sand is pretty tiny (until it gets caught inside your swimming suit!).
“To whom can you compare God? What image can you find to resemble him?” Those are great questions to wrestle with. I remember an exercise where we had to write down everything we knew or thought about God, including images. We all have a picture of God in our mind, and yet he is incomprehensible, isn’t he? The narrative that follows in our passage contrasts God with the idols of their time. That would have been what the people knew at the time as their point of reference.
“Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name.” I love living here in Mexico because I am seeing constellations I haven’t seen before. Just the other night, I marveled at a series of stars in the sky. David pointed out to me that that was Orion’s belt I was seeing. He has vivid memories of spending time with his own earthly daddy learning the stars that God had so carefully created.
Whenever doubt of fear creep in and try to steal your joy, return to these verses. “Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”
Let’s pray … Lord, your majesty is indescribable it’s so incredible. Help me to keep my focus on that as my days are often filled with fear and worry. When I am feeling faint, help me remember to lean on your strength. Fill me with your power today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
