Month: October 2019

• 73. Renew Strength

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

This is a conditional promise: if you wait on the Lord, then you will renew your strength, soar, run and walk. “Wait upon” in the Scriptures means to wait in faith, to be patient trusting for the Lord to act upon His promises, believing that God will keep His promises and do what He says in His time and in His way. We can wait if we have faith and believe God for everything He has revealed. Waiting in faith develops faith and strengthens hope. Waiting is usually boring, and after a certain time we give up, grow weary, and faint. On the other hand, waiting with faith and eager anticipation can increase excitement and make hope stronger because we become more and more certain about an exciting and positive result. 

Wait upon the Lord in confidence and trust. Wait with anticipation and the more time passes and the closer we come to that wonderful day when all is fulfilled the better it gets. There is a definite reward for remaining faithful even if we do not “see” the end result yet. The promise to the faithful is that they will renew their strength. Waiting actually makes us stronger and stronger. Such strength builds up the soul so that we become more certain in the face of doubts and lies.

Waiters in faith will mount up and soar like eagles. People watch eagles soaring above and the soul yearns to mount up on wind currents in the same way. The wind of the Spirit comes to lift the soul to soar above the mundane and scary circumstances of life on earth. They will also be able to run, and run a good race, without getting tired. And, finally, they will walk, and continue walking through life with head held high and a spring in the step, and not become weak and faint. The Spirit of God, through faith in the Gospel, keeps us going and keeps us going strong.

Living life in a cursed world wears us down and beats us up, but when a new life enters by faith the soul is encouraged and lifted up. Understand the difference between waiting in boredom and waiting in faith: one is a drag; the other is uplifting and spirited. The key is in knowing there is something wonderful waiting for us.

• 72. Power and Strength

Isaiah 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

God gives power and strength to the faint and those who have no might. That includes all sinners who are engaged in warfare against the enemies of Sin, Death and the Devil. We are all weak and faint. There is no way we can handle the assaults of Evil. The sooner we admit our weakness and ask for help the better we will be, for when we are weak then He is strong. Jesus Christ exercises power and strength in favor of the weak and powerless. But He will not exercise His power on our behalf if we think we are capable of taking care of it ourselves.

The Lord always brings down the proud and exalts the humble. God resists the proud. It is not that the Lord wouldn’t help all people, even the prideful and supposedly strong, but pride and self gets in the way of His power coming to us. The sick need a Physician; the healthy do too, but they do not acknowledge it. Thus the power is not received.

Daily repentance and honest humility keeps us weak, faint, and in need. Jesus is always there to give power and strength in time of need. The truth is: we need power and strength all the time. Believing in Jesus and trusting God for everything we need and for all good is itself a sign of weakness. And that’s a good thing, because we have a promise: God gives power and strength. 

Power may look like helplessness and strength may look like weakness. The greatest power in the world was unleashed in the suffering, weakness, and death of Jesus: it is the power of sacrificial love. Sin and Death and Satan did not know what to do with that, and they could not overcome it. Then violence happened: Jesus rose from the dead in his human body. This was the violence of life over death. Through the violence against Sin at the cross and the violence against Death at the tomb the Lord gives power and strength to us. Believe the promise.

• 71. Feed like a Shepherd

Isaiah 40:11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

God promises that He will be the Good Shepherd for His flock. We are a part of the flock of God as His sheep. The Lord is responsible for us; He is obligated to take care of us in every way. The Lord has brought us and paid for us; we are His. Jesus will do for everything that a shepherd does for his flock; only He will do it perfectly.

Jesus feeds His flock. He nourishes and cherishes us. Once He has saved us and brought us into the flock, He promises that will provide for us everything we need for life and godliness. The Good Shepherd feeds us the spiritual food through His Word and Spirit. Every nourishment we ever need is in the Word. He gives us His Word to listen to; we read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest every nutrient needed for healthy spiritual life and growth in faith. We live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. He will not leave us undernourished. We may ignore or even refuse the nourishment and sustenance He freely gives, but He continues to provide for all our needs of health and life. The Gospel is always available for us to partake, receive and believe.

Jesus gathers the lambs with His arms. We are comfortable and secure in His strong and everlasting arms. When we lose our way and things don’t seem to be in order in our life, He searches for us until He finds us. When He finds us He takes us in His arms and carries us in His bosom. He will not leave us alone to try to figure things out all by ourselves; He carries us.  On our own we may stumble and fall, but in His strong arms we are comfortable, safe, secure and at peace. Pride sometimes makes us want to take care of things in our own strength and wisdom, but when we let the soul be carried all is well.

Jesus gently leads us. He leads gently and we willingly follow His love. He does not force His way and His will, does not threaten us at gunpoint, does not use sticks and prods, does not overwhelm us with great power, does not use a heavy yoke or strong leash, and does not coerce with threat or force. He draws us to Him, and then He leads us by still waters and green pastures.

• 70. God will come

Isaiah 40:10 Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

The Lord God will come. So God promises; so He has, so He does, and so He will. The Lord has come when the Son of God was born as a man in the womb of the Virgin. The Lord comes to us when we repent and believe all through our lifetime. The Lord will come again on the Last Day to usher in the Eternal State.

When the Lord comes, He comes with a strong hand. The strength of the Lord is manifested in weakness, humility, poverty, suffering and the ignominy of death. The death of Jesus on the cross was, of course, the glory of the Lord for it showed forth the love of God, which is the strongest force in the universe. By the strength of this sacrificial love He saved us. He comes with this kind of strength to forgive our sins and answer our prayers.

When He comes, His arm will rule. Jesus Christ is ruling the Church on earth today from the right hand of God the Father. He is ruling with all authority and with the force of love to make sure that the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven. “Arm” in Scripture means force, where we get the words “arms and army.” The arm of Jesus rules, not with the force of an army, but with the gentle power of love.

When He comes, He brings His reward with Him. His reward is love, forgiveness and life. He has earned the reward with His death and resurrection, and He gives it to us when He preaches the Gospel and announces forgiveness. He rewards us with answers to prayer as and when we need them. The ultimate reward is finally given when He comes for the Judgment Day.

When He comes, His work goes before Him.  His work is the life, ministry, death and resurrection. With His finished work the Lord is willing and able to give us what we need according to His good and gracious will for our lives and our eternity. The work of Jesus earned and deserved for us all the blessings that God wants to give to His children. God keeps His promises. He will come.

• 69. Word Endures Forever

Isaiah 40:8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever.

God gives many promises in His Word: one of those promises is about the Word itself. It will last forever. Everything else, everything, will fade away. Nothing is permanent; nothing is solid; nothing is reliable; every word, except the Word of God, is a lie, an empty promise, a foundation of sand, and it will disappoint and let you down. We can stake our lives on the promises, and warnings, of the Word of God: it never disappoints. 

God IS. The Lord is the “I AM.” He is eternal, without beginning and without end. He just is, and always will be. Yahweh (“I am that I am”) is His Name. Eternal existence is the very nature and character and definition of God. And His Word is also eternal. The Eternal Word always is. It cannot be defeated or overcome, doubted or denied. It is true and will always be true.

God created us human beings to be eternal also, that is, to last forever. But Sin got in the way and brought death, an end to life. God is life; God is eternal life, but when we sinned we became separated from Life and were plunged into Death. Sin kills; Death kills. But the Lord God, the Eternal One, promises eternal life for those who believe in the Son. If God is eternal, if Life is eternal, if the Word of God is eternal, if believers are eternal, so also we can trust every promise in the Word. Jesus’ words are spirit and they are truth. When we believe His Word we also are eternal spirit and life. 

God’s Word is eternal; the Word is eternal life. Its truth and promise lasts forever. Human opinion, scientific theory, empirical learning, and the opinions of philosophy, psychology, sociology, education, and even theology cannot be trusted and will not last. It may be false and will only lead to a dead end in the end. But if God said it, then it is settled forever. Live on the solid rock.

• 68. Glory Revealed

Isaiah 40:5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

God promises that the glory of the Lord shall be revealed. Everyone will see the glory of the Lord, believers and unbelievers will see it together. For believers the vision of the glory will be full of joy and wonder; for unbelievers the revelation of he glory will be devastation and destruction. No flesh, with sin in it, will ever be able to stand in the full glory of the Lord when it is revealed. But the flesh with sin cleansed will not only live but also thrive and rejoice in the revealed glory of the Lord. The glory of the Lord will be so overwhelming it will totally consume all sin and the flesh to which it is connected. The glory of the Lord will also be overwhelming to the flesh in which sin has been forgiven, but it will overwhelm with joy and wonder and pure love and awesome worship and unending praise and eternal thanksgiving.

Moses got to see the glory of the Lord but only the backside. John beheld the glory in a vision of the throne in heaven. Peter, James and John saw the glory of Jesus in he Transfiguration. Some humans have seen the glory, but not the full revelation that we will behold in heaven after the resurrection of the flesh.

The glory of the Lord has also been revealed on a sinful earth for all to see, but the overwhelming nature of it is hidden to unbelief. This is the Glory of the Cross, but it doesn’t look like glory because we see pain, agony, suffering, humility and death. However, faith sees the absolute Love of God for sinners. This revelation of glory, prophesied by Isaiah, is just as amazing and overwhelming for we have never seen such love on earth. This kind of “glory in the shame” is not revealed to all flesh but only those to whom the Lord granted faith to see.

Within every created human heart is an inner yearning for God and the desire to behold the Lord face to face. God promises that all flesh shall see it, but if forgiveness of sin has not been received by faith it will not be a pleasant experience. For believers the revelation of glory will be wonderful beyond belief. Now we look at the cross and the tomb to see and be blessed.

• 67. Comfort, Comfort

Isaiah 40:1,2 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

God promises comfort for the Church, all the believers in Christ. Comfort is a settling of the soul, a calming of the spirit, and alleviation for the body. The comfort promised is a result of the coming of the Messiah to die for all sin and rise again to give life to all. 

Restlessness, disturbance, turmoil, pain, suffering and stress are the result of sin, the original sin from Adam and the actual sins of human beings. If life is not perfect, comfortable and stress-free it is our own fault, our own sin. We have nobody to blame but our own sin and guilt. I am the cause of all troubles, maybe not directly, but I am the sinner. If life were fair I would be incinerated: that would be fair justice for then I get what I deserved. I, the sinner, earned those wages. A stressful life should lead me to admit my fault and confess my sin; and not blame someone or something else.

I am desperately in need of comfort. The good news is: God gives comfort through Jesus Christ. God says, “Comfort ye my people!” Because of Christ, the Lord can assuredly proclaim: “My, son, my daughter, you have comfort from me. You are comfortable. Be at ease; be refreshed. Let me take on all your stresses and problems. I am responsible now.”

Take comfort because your warfare is accomplished. It is finished; it is over and done; Jesus won. The resurrection of Jesus seals it all and makes comfort yours forever. War is strife. There is no more need for striving and struggling. He is risen; the battle is done. Exult in the victory and enjoy the comfort of peace.

Take comfort because your iniquity is pardoned. When sin is forgiven, peace, calm, and comfort come to reign in the soul. There is no more striving to be good enough to be acceptable to God. There is no more struggling to deal with guilt and shame. There is no more punishment for sins. There is no more death looming in front of us. There is no more fear or worry. Now that is comfort: God declares it; God promises it; God gives it free for Jesus’ sake.

• 66. Joy and Gladness

Isaiah 35:10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Those who believe in Jesus Christ have been ransomed. The ransom shall return to God and to the Land and to Zion. The first application of the prophecy is for the people of Israel in Exile in Babylon. That return is a typical prophecy of the Messiah who would come to earth and ransom all people who believe in Him. Believers in Christ will return to the God who created them and they will enter into the kingdom of God by repentance and faith in the Gospel.

The promise connected to this ransom and return is that these redeemed people will come to the Lord with songs and everlasting joy. They will obtain joy and gladness. Sorrow and sighing will flee away. God Himself will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Sin causes weeping and sadness. Redemption brings joy and gladness because the sin is forgiven. When sin is forgiven sorrow flees away and tears are wiped away. This actually happens every time we hear the Gospel. That’s a promise.

When a sinner repents there is joy and gladness in heaven. Every time we repent God rejoices. We make the Lord happy every day when we repent and believe. Who wouldn’t want to make God happy, along with the angels in heaven? We cause the Lord to gather friends and neighbors together and rejoice, like the owners of the lost coin and the lost sheep. When the lost son returns home he finds the father hugging him and making merry with a big party.

When we make the Lord glad we also have obtained joy and gladness. Daily repentance and faith is a joyous party with a fatted calf, music, dancing and merry-making. But the metaphor fails in this: a party will always end; the party’s over. But the joy of the Lord is an everlasting joy. This party is never over; it just goes on and on. That’s what happens when we bring God joy. The byproduct: we obtain eternal joy. We never have to come down from such a high.

• 65. No Lion or Beast

Isaiah 35:9 No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there.

Since the Fall many animals became like lions and wild beasts, some of which are untamable and have become harmful to human life. Before the Fall all animals were subject to the dominion of the created human, such that Adam could name the animals and control them all. But sin and the curse changed the environment so that nature itself became hostile to mankind to some degree. But the Lord still loved the world in this way: He gave His Son to redeem the cursed Creation. Now, since Christ came to redeem, “the creation waits eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” 

There will come a Day when the lion will lie down with the lamb and children will play on the holes of snakes without harm. Lions and ravenous beasts are symbols of evil and the personification of Evil, the devil. “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” But he can be resisted, for He has been defeated.

The promise is that there shall be no lion or ravenous beast on the road to heaven. Heaven comes into our hearts, and the devil cannot live there where the Lord is in charge. The redeemed shall walk there. Life without evil is beyond our imagination for we have never experienced such a righteous, wonderful life. For those in Christ that kind of life now exists side by side with the desert of the soul where devouring lions and ravenous beasts used to live. We actually live in two worlds, one by faith and one by sight. Faith believes the promise: no lion shall be there. He is still there, but he has no power and he can be resisted by the Life living in us.

This brings up the old question: “Can a Christian have a demon?” The answer is Yes, but we can believe the promise and take authority over it and drive it out. Satan has no right to our life, although he will never stop trying and lying. By the power of the Holy Spirit we can choose which world to dwell in. Therefore, choose life, that you may live. By believing you may have life in his name.

• 64. The Way of Holiness

Isaiah 35:8 And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

Jesus fulfills the promise of a highway. So also says John the Baptist: there will be a highway in the desert. This highway is Jesus Christ. He has come and made a way where there is no way. He is the Way. He does not show the way; He is the Way. This way is the way of holiness: it is the strait and narrow way. There are many exit ramps along the way; don’t take them. But we do, because broad is the way that leads to destruction. We take these exit ramps because they entice us with a broad way that looks like good fun. We take the broad way because we are fools.

The way of holiness is for wayfaring men, who are fools. We must admit that we are fools. We are not wise; we do not know the way. But here is a promise for fools: they shall not err when they are on this narrow path. The path is Jesus, and He makes no mistakes. He is always good, right and holy. By faith in Christ we are on that Way, the way of holiness. We, as fools, do not always make wise choices; therefore, we pray “Thy will be done.” We repent of foolish choices and come back to the Way by believing in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. Faith in the forgiveness of sins keeps us holy, for we are justified by grace through faith. We have this promise: Jesus puts us on the right way and the Holy Spirit keeps us there. We, as wayfarers, leave the road by ignoring Jesus and walking away from Him. But like the Prodigal, we come home again and again and the Father is always there to welcome us with a huge hug, and He rejoices and makes marry with us.

We recognize how foolish we are as born and bred sinners. Thank God that repentance and faith in the Gospel are always available, and when we get back on the way of holiness again and again we will not err. For foolish sinners like us this promise is comforting and joyous. We never take for granted the wonder of love and the amazement of grace. Remember: there is a way.