Have You Heard the Good News?

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40: 28

We all love receiving good news, don’t we? And on this beautiful Sunday morning, I have some to share with you!

Just as we often do with others when we have some news to tell, this verse from Isaiah 40  begins with the same words we might use: “Do you not know? Have you not heard?”

Then what reassuring news Isaiah had to give: “The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”  

What a message of hope and comfort. What a reminder of the strength and assurance He had to give to those in Isaiah’s day, as well as, to us in our present day.

We know from experience how difficult it is to handle all of life’s challenges and difficulties on our own. No matter how strong we may seem, how much faith we believe we have, or how many people we have loving and supporting us, sometimes we need more.

We can all become so weak and discouraged from time to time, and we begin to lose hope. We need God’s divine love and strength to hold on to and to carry us through. He understands what we are going through and He cares about our pain. He longs for us to depend on Him and trust in His most loving name. Hurting hearts need comforting words and these tender words convey His deepest love for us.

The prophet, Isaiah, also understood that His people needed a message of hope and comfort, especially after he has just spoken to them about God’s coming judgment on them because of their indifference to Him and His Word (Isaiah 39). He wanted them to understand and know that if they called out to God with faith in Him, He would be with them. Even in the darkest of times, our loving God wants us to know that if we are faithful to Him, He will always be near, providing His presence, power, and strength for us. What reassurance and hope his words gave to them. And what a comfort they can be for us.

We don’t know what God has planned for us, for our country, and for our world, but we do know that He will be with us if we trust in Him. For “our everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth” who has revealed Himself through the Bible and in the person and work of Jesus Christ has made it very clear that we can either experience the comfort and hope He has to give, or we can live in hopelessness and despair without Him.

For in Him lies our hope and confidence for tomorrow and for every day to come. “He doesn’t grow tired or weary” of hearing our prayers – our concerns and cares – and He gives us strength.

What infinite and divine wisdom and understanding He has, as He gives us exactly what we need at the time we need it most. He is worthy of our praise and honor. May we share His good news to all those who haven’t heard and glorify His name always.

Prayer

 Our most gracious and loving God, we thank you for the comfort and hope only you can give. Thank you for hearing our prayers in times of despair and giving us the strength we need to get through them. We praise your most holy name. Amen