Questions That Need An Answer (Isaiah 40:12-31) Series

And what God is saying, is that help is on its way. God has this plan that's been set in motion. And part of this plan, is that God will give them a renewed strength. The strength God offers, I think, is partly physical. The Israelites are physically drained, and worn out, and tired. Live away from home long enough, far from God, and that will happen. So I think we can keep this verse on our walls, just above our coffee pots. But I think part of what God offers here, is the strengthening of faith. The day will come when God's people no longer say, verse 27,

"My way is hidden from Yahweh,

while from my God/Elohim, my judgment/decision is passing by."

When God's help comes, they will be strengthened, because they know that God does see them, that He is with them. They will find themselves in a place where they have practical faith. Where they have confidence that God is a good Father, who gives good gifts.

And if we pull in last week's verses, we can add to this. Last week, we read about how God is having a road built for himself. Angels are out excavating, and smoothing a road for God to come home to the land of Israel. Right? And on this road, God will bring his people home. So the time is very quickly coming, when it will no longer feel like God's people walk one road in life, and God walks another. Soon, God will walk with his people, and He will bring them home.

In the meantime, what does the prophet encourage the people to do? It's a little bit indirect. But in verse 31, he calls on them to "wait upon Yahweh."

In certain circles of Christianity, this idea of "waiting on God" is really important language. Maybe you're familiar with it; maybe you're not. Maybe you know the names, and movements, that use this.

What does it mean to "wait upon Yahweh" in this verse?

It means to be patient. It means to not lose faith. It means to keep your hope that God's help is on its way. The people have been in exile a very long time. God's judgment has been passing them by. But that's about to change.

So that's our passage. I made it! This feels like it was a lot. I've tried to do too much. But let me leave you with one last thought, that I think is the main point of this passage.

When we think about God creating the heavens and the earth, we tend to focus on our attention on defending the idea that we are made in/as God's image, and that we haven't evolved from monkeys. We poke holes in evolutionary theories, and then think we're done.

But most of the time, when the Bible talks about creation, it does so for a very practical reason-- to give us faith in God's power. There are things in life that seem huge, powerful, everlasting. Oppressive governments-- Babylons-- can feel this way. Cancer can feel this way. Struggles to pay the bills, and keep credit card debt at nothing, can feel huge.

When the Bible talks about God creating everything, it's designed to put things in perspective. God is a huge, powerful giant, who measures the mountains with a kitchen scale. God measures the oceans with a measuring cup. God measures the world, like my wife measures for cooking.