Glenn Branham
-Chapter 40 is the beginning of a new section in the book of Isaiah. It is the first chapter which looks beyond the captivity of Israel and on to the brightness of the future God has in store.
This is one of the better known texts in the book of Isaiah. It is well-known because it is well-loved. It is loved because it strikes a familiar cord with so many weary pilgrims who travel this appointed way. At times all of us have been weary. Our experiences can be exhausting. Over the duration of time we can become discouraged. Just remember, this is one of the tricks of the enemy: if discouragement goes unchecked it can lead to defeat.
Isa 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
GBN - all power is in his hand to deliver when his time comes.
JFB - known--by thine own observation and reading of Scripture.
Everlasting - These attributes of Jehovah ought to inspire His afflicted people with confidence.
Isa 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
FBN -Despondency in God’s service is sinful and unreasonable, for he is both able and ready to bestow upon his servants any measure of strength and wisdom which their necessities may demand.
the "gator aid" that was given to enlisted men in a Florida training camp during World War II? The daily training for those GIs included a run through an obstacle course. On the final stretch of the endurance test, they had to grab a rope and swing across a broad, shallow pool.
Under the blazing southern sun the water looked so inviting to the men that most of them soon developed a habit of making it only halfway across the pond--that is, until an enterprising lieutenant made it the new home for a large alligator. From that day on, the recruits left the ground 15 feet from the water’s edge and fell sprawling in the dust on the other side.
Likewise, our behavior as Christians must sometimes be shaped by the "encouragement" of the danger of unfavorable circumstances. Without God’s loving correction and faithful discipline we would never develop spiritual strength and endurance. If the Lord didn’t permit threatening conditions to come into our lives, we’d soon succumb to feelings of self-sufficiency and overconfidence.
2Co 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Researchers at the University of Virginia have found that most people perceive a hill to be steeper than it really is, especially if they’re tired or carrying a heave load. When asked to estimate the slope of a hill, test participates consistently misjudged it, thinking a 10-degree slant was about 30 degrees, and rating a 5-degree slope as nearly 20 degrees.
When were burdened and exhausted, even a minor problem can seem to big for us to handle. It is easy to get convinced that the hill is to steep or tough for us to climb.
Ps 147:5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
And of great power - Doing as he wills, and willing to do mighty deeds. His acts reveal something of his might, but the mass of his power is hidden, for all things are possible with God, even the things impossible with men.
James May - God knows how to give you the power to overcome. He will take your weaknesses, your failures, your doubts and fears, and He will turn them into miracles of deliverance. In fact, God often does not move until we have given it over to Him completely because He will not share the glory of your deliverance with you. It is all of Him or none of Him. God is our source of strength. God is our source of provision. God is our source of power. God is our source for everything we need! We can’t do anything within ourselves.
What causes us to lose strength? Brad Froese say, “there’s a priority problem somewhere in the Christian life today… We always make the mistake of putting work and play before ministry, and that’s a huge mistake because we draw our strength from the Lord, don’t we? If we’re too busy drawing from the wrong sources, we loose our strength. No matter how hard you work or play, the world doesn’t pay back with strength because our source of strength is the Lord. In order to obtain strength from the Lord, you have to be engaged in the business of the Lord: in the purposes of God.”
