Our Lord & Our God (Isaiah 40)
Think about the most complex challenges you face in your daily life—perhaps it's managing work demands, maintaining relationships, or just keeping up with the pace of change in our fast-moving world. Sometimes, the weight of these challenges makes us feel as though we are carrying heavy burdens alone, struggling to find our footing. Wouldn’t it be great if you had access to an expert in all those areas? Wouldn’t it be nice to receive advice and assistance from someone who understands the thoughts and intentions of others, who sees the easy way to get things done, and who can make the bad things better?
A lot of us were outside at night watching the aurora light up the sky. It’s amazing to see that. I have often taken pictures of the Milky Way galaxy at night. It’s also an amazing sight to see. Each is part of the grand design that God Himself has developed with His words of creation. Now, imagine how hard you would have to work to create those stars. Where would you begin? How difficult, or impossible does that task seem? You might say that’s too hard and kind of ridiculous. Okay, let’s say they are already created for you. You just need to keep them all in place and keep them lit. We can’t have them running out of fuel or being pulled into one another. Still too much, isn’t it? The God who created that offers his help in our personal lives. He offers to be with us and guide us through life’s struggles.
Today, we turn to Isaiah 40, a chapter that begins a profound shift from the themes of judgment to those of comfort and promise. Here God reaches out not just to the nation of Israel but to each of us personally. He offers words of comfort, a declaration of His unchanging strength, and a reminder of His intimate and enduring presence in our lives. Some say that the first 39 chapters of Isaiah are like the first 39 books of the Bible (The Old Testament). While the last 27 chapters are like the last 27 books (The New Testament). We have seen that the New Testament is found everywhere in this book and in the Bible itself, but there does seem to be a shift and the Messianic language increases starting at this Chapter.
As we explore these timeless promises together, let us open our hearts to the message of hope and renewal that God is speaking into our lives right now. Let this chapter reshape the way we view our trials and the way we perceive His power. Today, we are invited to exchange our weariness for His strength, to replace our fleeting uncertainties with His everlasting truths.
I. God's Invitation to Comfort (Verses 1-11)
Isaiah 40:1–2 (ESV) — 1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
"Comfort, comfort my people," says your God. This opening verse of the fortieth chapter marks a change from despair to hope. Here, God is not merely issuing a command; He is extending an olive branch for the weariness that has long burdened the souls of His people. He wants to provide us with the comfort we need in our darkest hours. He wants to provide us with comfort and relief because he knows the difficulty of what we are going through.
Isaiah 40:3–5 (ESV) — 3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
As we venture deeper into the heart of this chapter, a voice cries out, "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God." Picture this: a royal road being prepared, every valley lifted, every mountain and hill made low. This is not just physical terrain being transformed; it's the landscape of our hearts. God is inviting us to clear the path, to remove the obstacles that hinder our relationship with Him. This preparation is not passive; it requires action, reflection, repentance. It's about making room for the divine to enter our lives in full force. Prepare for the Lord to come into your life and give you the ultimate salvation you need.
And then, the glory of the Lord is revealed. All people will see it together. Imagine that—every heart, every soul, witnessing the majesty of God. The impermanence of our lives, like grass that withers and flowers that fade, stands in stark contrast to the eternal Word of our God. This Word stands forever. In a world where everything changes, where humans and their haughty declarations come and go, the truth of God remains unshaken, a constant star in the shifting skies of human circumstance.
Isaiah 40:6–11 (ESV) — 6 A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. 9 Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” 10 Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
Finally, we see God depicted not only as a mighty sovereign but as a gentle shepherd in verses 9-11. "Behold, your God! Behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him." He comes with power, and His arm rules for Him. Yet, He gathers the lambs in His arms; He carries them in His bosom and gently leads those that are with young. Here lies the beautiful duality of our God: mighty yet merciful, powerful yet paternal. He is the creator of the cosmos, yet He cares for His children with a tenderness that transcends human understanding.
This, then, is our foundational comfort: In our impermanence, God offers His eternal word; in our chaos, He prepares a way; in our weakness, He comes with strength, and in our vulnerability, He shepherds us with gentle hands. As we reflect on these truths, let us embrace the comfort God offers, let us prepare the way for Him in our hearts and lives, and let us trust in the enduring nature of His Word, which promises not just survival, but revival.
But what does this mean for us today? How do we prepare the way in the rush and routine of our daily lives? It begins in the moments we choose to turn off the distractions and tune into the divine. It happens in the mornings we open His Word before opening our emails, in the nights we spend in prayer instead of perusing social media. Each choice to prioritize God's presence is a stone laid on the highway in our wilderness, each act of obedience a straightening of the paths that lead us closer to Him.
Recognize that God is coming and sound forth the alarm for everyone to come and experience his presence. He wants to come into our lives and tend to our spiritual needs. We should be screaming this from the hilltops.
II. The Incomparable God (Verses 12-26)
As we journey further into Isaiah 40, we encounter a series of rhetorical questions that elevate our gaze from the earthly to the divine, from the finite to the infinite.
Isaiah 40:12–17 (ESV) — 12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? 13 Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel? 14 Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? 15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust. 16 Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering. 17 All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.
"Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or marked off the heavens with a span?" These questions aren't seeking answers—they're evoking awe. They remind us of the magnitude of God’s creative prowess and His unrivaled dominion over the universe. This God, our God, is not a distant architect; He is an intimate creator, involved in both the macrocosm of galaxies and the microcosm of our lives.
In verses 15-17, the nations are described as a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales. Think of that imagery—the vast empires of our world, the powerful governments and bustling societies, reduced to mere specks in the grand scheme of God’s purposes. This perspective is humbling. It’s a call to reorient our understanding of power and influence. In the kingdom of God, the metrics of might are not measured by wealth or weapons but by willingness to yield to His sovereignty.
Isaiah 40:18–20 (ESV) — 18 To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? 19 An idol! A craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts for it silver chains. 20 He who is too impoverished for an offering chooses wood that will not rot; he seeks out a skillful craftsman to set up an idol that will not move.
As we progress to verses 18-20, the prophet challenges us with another question: "To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?" The folly of idolatry is laid bare here. How often do we, even unconsciously, fashion modern idols—our careers, relationships, even our technologies and comforts? These verses challenge us to consider what we are truly worshiping, prompting us to dismantle the altars we have built to these temporary things and invest in the eternal.
Isaiah 40:21–24 (ESV) — 21 Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; 23 who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. 24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
Verses 21-24 continue this theme, pointing out the folly of those who forget their creator—those who live as if the universe spins on the axis of human endeavor. "He brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness." Here is a stark reminder of the transience of human authority compared to the everlasting kingdom of God. Every human power, every leader and nation, will one day fade, but God remains immutable, His reign unending.
Isaiah 40:25–26 (ESV) — 25 To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.
And then, in verses 25-26, God speaks directly: "To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One." He directs our gaze upward, to the stars He has created and named. Each star, a testament to His precision and care. If God can name and sustain the countless stars, how much more will He care for His people? This reassures us of our valued place in His creation, not as mere spectators but as beloved children, known and cared for by the Almighty.
This segment of Isaiah serves not only to exalt God but to realign our understanding of where true power and security lie. It beckons us to trust not in the transient but in the transcendent, not in the creations of hands but in the Creator of the heavens. As we ponder these truths, let us shed the scales of earthly measurements of greatness and embrace the infinite scale of God’s majesty and mercy.
III. Renewed Strength (Verses 27-31)
Moving to the closing verses of Isaiah 40, we find a profound encouragement and a promise that resonates deeply, especially in moments of weariness and doubt.
Isaiah 40:27–31 (ESV) — 27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? 28 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. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they 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.
"Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, 'My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God'?" Here, Isaiah addresses a common human fear—the fear of being forgotten by God, of our struggles and pains going unnoticed.
But the prophet quickly dispels this fear: "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." God's infinite nature is not just a fact of divine resume; it's a reality that impacts our daily experiences. Unlike humans, God does not tire or give up. His vigilance and vigor are eternal, and His care for us is unfaltering.
Most powerfully, in verses 29-31, we receive the promise: "He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength." And then, that beautiful, soaring assurance: "But they 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." What a promise! To those who wait upon the Lord, who trust in His timing and lean on His strength, there is an inexhaustible supply of power. This is not just about physical vigor; it's about the spiritual stamina to endure, to persevere, to thrive.
Application
In these verses, we find not only comfort but a call to active trust and patient expectation. Waiting on the Lord is not passive; it's a dynamic stance offaith, a posture of readiness to receive His strength in exchange for our weakness. This waiting involves prayer, meditation on His Word, and sometimes just sitting in silence, allowing His peace to replace our anxiety.
This promise of renewal is as applicable today as it was in Isaiah's time. It speaks to anyone burdened by life’s demands, anyone feeling inadequate for the challenges ahead. Here is the divine exchange: our tired, worn-out selves for His limitless strength and vitality. The imagery of mounting up with wings like eagles provides a vivid picture of rising above life’s challenges, not by our might but by the power of God. Eagles soar effortlessly, not by constantly flapping their wings, but by catching the wind currents. Similarly, when we wait on the Lord, relying on His guidance and strength, we find ourselves lifted by His grace, moving through life’s difficulties with a peace and power that are not our own.
In this closing section of Isaiah 40, we are reminded that God's promises are not idle words; they are assurances backed by His infinite power and faithful character. As we draw this exploration to a close, let each of us take these words to heart. Let us not just hear them, but truly listen and respond. Let us not grow weary in our faith, but renew our commitment to wait on the Lord, to trust in His eternal strength, and to embrace the profound peace that comes from knowing He is forever for us and with us.
Conclusion
As we reflect on the entirety of Isaiah 40, we see a cohesive narrative that moves from comfort to a declaration of God's incomparable power, to a profound assurance of His enduring support for His people. This chapter is a powerful reminder of who God is and how He relates to us. His word stands forever, His power surpasses all, and His promises bring renewal to our weary souls.
As you step into this week, carry with you the image of the eagle, the knowledge of God’s unmatched greatness, and the comforting assurance that your way is never hidden from Him. May you find in Him the strength to rise, the faith to endure, and the peace to trust in His perfect plan.