One of my favorite texts to read and preach on is Isaiah 40:21-31. It puts things in perspective adopting a view of a larger reality. The phrase “have you not known?”, and “have you not heard?” are stated directly twice and implied several times as well.
The questions are not merely rhetorical. Isaiah is addressing individuals who should know the answers. The questions relate to God. Have you not known Him? Have you not seen what He does and will continue to do?
Today it is so easy to believe that our fate and or salvation is in the hands of political parties. If this text is to be believed that is clearly not the case. It never has been! God is in control. According to Isaiah, He “brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.” I shared this in the context of a sermon at a local nursing home. There was a lot of affirmative head nodding when I noted that God could but “blow on them and they wither away.”
For those who have “seen it all” this concept was no surprise. Individuals who are in their late eighties and nineties have the depth of experience and may have a deep understanding of life that only comes with age. Asking seasoned Christians if they “have not known?” or “seen?” God at work usually results in a significant story. Such stories can bless us beyond measure and add to our own wisdom. Often we miss out on these opportunities. As a chaplain I constantly benefit from these interactions.
The stories of God’s people (their testimonies or witness to His presence and power) must be shared. Why? So that others may hear, and see and understand. The text below mentions that even young people grow weary and essentially may lose hope. Sharing our stories, faith, hope and understanding will allow them access to our ultimate hope and security. You cannot know what has never been taught. Neither can you process what you have not seen.
Isaiah reminds us that, “the Lord is an everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength…”(vs. 28-31)
Have we not known that He is Lord, Creator, the One who empowers us and calls us by name? Have we not seen Him at work in the world and within us? Who could value from your vision and understanding? Today?
partofHISstory 