“Listen Close, and Know”

Scripture: Isaiah 40:21-31

Humanity has always struggled with the question “What is our relationship with God all about?” After all, how does the world even know, with any degree of certainty, that he even exists? And if he does, why should he even care about us? Several years ago, Casting Crowns recorded a song called "Who Am I". The first verse expresses this very sentiment.

“Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt?
Who am I, that the bright and morning star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart?”

And the refrain answers our question:

“Not because of who I am
But because of what you've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who you are”

The song continues to lay out all the reasons why our Lord of all the earth shouldn’t care a hoot for any of us, and every time, the refrain draws us back to the answer that doesn’t always make a lot of sense to some folks – that it has absolutely nothing to do with who and what we are – it’s all about God and his ways. In Isaiah 55:8-9, we are offered a comparable answer – that our ways, and our understanding, is so limited that even if we were given a more detailed answer to the question, we could never understand it.

God’s greatness, and our lack thereof, will never explain the incredible love that we receive from the Lord. It will always be a mystery – but just the same, it exists, and always will exist,

Isaiah 40:21-24

Israel had been told time and time again about their great God Jehovah! They had heard of his glory and his might; of the power and meaning behind his creation; of his love and plan for their lives and their nation; of his majesty that, at the very least, deserved their allegiance and obedience. And as often as they had heard, they never quite learned.

And what about us? How often have we heard those same great stories that come to us from the Old Testament? The story of Abraham’s family and how the Lord guided their steps to his way, even when they strayed from his path; the rescue of the people from slavery in Egypt; the abject disobedience that should have resulted in their destruction, but how God allowed them another chance after captivity in Babylon and Assyria; stories about the faithful – Daniel, Rahab, Noah, Ruth, Nathaniel, Esther, David and many others. How about the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah, as well as those of Amos, Micah, Joel and many more. How much have we heard, and how much do we know about our amazing and gracious and glorious God, and how much do we actually do about our knowledge?

Regardless of what Israel, and we, have heard, unless the people put their learning into practice, the lessons are, for all practical purposes, worthless! Verse 24 reminds us that our existence on this globe is temporary, and our time is limited, and our opportunities to put all that we have learned into action will soon draw to a close. Have any of us done something – anything - to bring honor to our Lord?

“Hearing” is a part of our preparation for something much greater. “Learning” is about putting our hearing to work. And “knowing” is our discovery of the possibilities that lie in following our God. And if we fail to put knowing into action, how will all of our study and learning and knowledge be of any benefit to us, or to anyone else for that matter?

Isaiah 40:25-26

The tone of the passage begins to change. In those first four verses, the pronouns were all third-person – they were coming from a messenger, and not directly from the Lord himself. But now the message is given in the first-person – it comes straight from the mouth and heart of God.
We are asked if anything or anyone can compare to our God? And the prophet steps up and begins to proclaim the glory that exists all around us. “Just look at all the millions and billions of stars that are up there! Have you ever considered just how they got there – how they continue to shine after all these years – how they are able to remain in place and not just fall out of existence?”
The overarching image here is that God is completely in charge – not only of the original creation, but in its continued beauty and existence. The point of the prophet’s call to lift up our eyes to the heavens, to consider the multitude of the heavenly bodies individually, is to call our attention to the grandeur of all that God has done for us.
Imagine the attention that the Lord pays to his creation – knowing each part intimately and by name, and that includes you and me. And in that intimate relationship, think about what he is willing and able to do for each one of us, individually as well as corporately!

The prophet is obviously aware of the Lord’s presence and work, and he calls our attention to the fact that nothing is out of place – that nothing is missing from God’s created order, that we can put our trust in him, that all will be made and kept right, if we let him.

Isaiah 40:27-31

So what do we have to complain about? I’m certain that none of us have ever grumbled about the condition of our lives (!!??) But we know that Israel did during their wilderness days, and if we are completely honest with ourselves, so do we. Israel’s confidence in Jehovah’s provision was very shallow, at best. They became hungry, so the Lord gave them manna and quail; during the forty years of wilderness, their clothes never wore out, the water always seemed to come when it was needed, the food was there every morning and evening, he led them past some enemies and became the means for conquering others, and the presence of the Lord was with them in both the day and the night. (Deuteronomy 8:2-6; Exodus 13:17-22; Numbers 20:9-13)

The Lord never ceased in his caring and leading of Israel – even in their disobedience, he never abandoned them. And he will never leave us to our own ways and means either – unless we feel that we can do better than he can! The Lord never forces himself on anyone, and when we decide to make our own way in this life, or decide to live life in our own way, or decide that we know better than he does, it is then that he will always let us try it our way. In my personal experience, though, my way never seems to work out as well as I had hoped, and it never even comes close to the success that God’s way has always been for me.

“Do you not know? Have you not heard?” Isaiah begins to put it all in perspective when he compares our inabilities and infirmities with all that God is and does on our behalf. Through the prophet, the Lord sets the standard for this life. He reminds us that no matter how young and energetic we may be, we still have our limits – we get tired, we make mistakes, we stumble over the world’s obstacles and fall flat on our face more times than we can count. Our judgment is faulty, our decisions fall short of our potential, and life is always a toss-up as to whether it will turn out good or not.

But our God is always there, caring and blessing our lives, prepared to show us all of his goodness, to work his power for our benefit, to include us in his incredible plans for this world, to be gracious, merciful and forgiving when we fail him, to give us his all, and in return, only asking for our loyalty and trust.

And those who trust in the Lord will soar on the wings of his Spirit! So which sounds better to you? Soaring or stumbling – the choice is up to each of us!