Isaiah – Page 2 – Memos from God

The crown of a large tree silhouetted by a golden sunset. Caption: Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is an eternal God, the Creator of the whole earth. He does not get tired or weary; there is no limit to his wisdom. He gives strength to those who are tired; to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy. Isaiah 40:28-29

Today we are beginning a new series on the subject of strength.

If you think someone would be encouraged by this post, please share.

A small yellow flower floating in grey-blue water. Caption: The Lord will continually lead you; he will feed you even in parched regions. He will give you renewed strength, and you will be like a well-water garden, like a spring that continually produces water. Isaiah 58:11

A deep blue sky, evergreen trees, and snow-capped mountains reflecting in a calm lake. Caption: Fairness will produce peace and result in lasting security. Isaiah 32:17

A lone person in a rowboat on a calm lake. The lake and sky blend together into a golden orange because of the sun glowing through the mist. Caption: You keep him in perfect peace whose mid is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3

Big, bright yellow sunflowers under a light blue sky with fluffy white clouds. Caption: Your sun will no longer set; your moon will not disappear; the Lord will be your permanent source of light; your time of sorrow will be over. Isaiah 60:20

The silhouette of an eagle soaring between two trees against a golden sky. Caption: But those who wait for the Lord’s help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings. They run without growing weary; they walk without getting tired. Isaiah 40:31

A starry sky, teal at the top, orange at the horizon, over a dark hilly landscape. Caption: Fairness will produce peace and result in lasting security. Isaiah 32:17

Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

Isaiah 41:10 Fear Not! 2

LCJanuary 16, 20132 Comments

We all have at least one thing in common: we are facing an uncertain future. We may think that we have the course of our lives planned out, but we never know what might happen to change those plans. Sometimes, the evening news makes that all the more real. It might be a natural disaster, an accident, or the result of the evil acts of mankind, but there is always something happening that will put boulders in our path. This will be especially true if the path we are following is not God’s path.

The Israelites experienced this regularly; one specific example is their exile to Babylon. They spent 70 years there! I can tell you that I would feel forgotten by God long before that. But the Israelites were not forgotten and neither are we. In Isaiah 41:10, the Israelites are returning from exile and facing the prospect of starting over amid other nations. God tells the Israelites that they need not be afraid. He is with them; He is their God. It’s always nice to have a companion to help you face the tough times, but so much better when your companion is the all-powerful God of the universe. God promises to strengthen them, help them and uphold them with His righteous right hand. Righteous. That means that he notices when we disobey. The Israelites constantly disobeyed and God had done something about it. God had told the Israelites in Jeremiah 29:10 that they would be subject to Babylonian rule, and that He would get back to them in 70 years. But take note: that is the verse that comes right before the popular and well-loved verse of Jeremiah 29:11. I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to give you a hope and a future. The following verses (Jeremiah 29:12-13) assure them, and us, that God will hear our prayers and will be available to us when we seek Him with all our hearts.

Sometimes the challenge of this life seems like it is far too much to handle, and it probably is unless we have God’s help. He wants us to depend on Him, to trust Him to see us through the trials we face. He assures us over and over again in His Word that He is strong enough, He is able and He is willing. We need not fear; we just need to come to Him.

Isaiah 41:10 All I want for Christmas is… HOPE! 3

LCDecember 12, 20123 Comments

Have you ever felt like you wanted to move forward, but every time you take a step you run into a brick wall? So you take a step in another direction, and there is another brick wall. You are surrounded by mile high brick walls everywhere you turn. That’s the way I’ve felt lately. It’s frustrating and discouraging. Sometimes I feel hopeless.

Because of a car accident I was in a couple of years ago, I function at a much lower level than I used to. There are things that I want to do, but I just can’t. One of the few things I didn’t have to give up on was book club—truly one of the greatest blessings in my life. On Monday, we had our annual Christmas brunch. As has become a bit of a tradition, our leader read a story while we passed around a gift according to directions given in the story. The gift would be given to the person who was holding it when the story ended. This year, that person was me. Among other fun, unique and beautiful things was a fairly large box. When I opened it and pulled out the first tissue wrapped item, I quickly realized that the contents were letters spelling the word HOPE. They are designed to hold candles and could be used as a centerpiece on a table or buffet. But for me, the beauty of this gift was the much-needed reminder from God that I could have hope.

Only a few hours later, I came across Isaiah 41:10. "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." These are words that God said to the Israelites, a people who weren’t sure if they could have hope. They had disappointed God with their rebellion and had been exiled because of it. How could they know that God had not given up on them? How could they be sure that God would not punish them further? The word God gave to reassure them also reassures us. If we are children of God, He is with us, He will strengthen and help us. He will uphold us because He is righteous. The whole reason for Christmas is that God sent Jesus to be God with us. Emmanuel. (Matthew 1:23) Through Jesus, God is keeping for us the same promise that He made to the Israelites in Isaiah 41:10. No matter what we are facing, we can turn to Him and find hope.