Isaiah 40:12-31. Strength in the Lord for the weary.

Strength in the Lord for the weary Book of Isaiah Chapter 40:12-31 March 3, 2024 G o d ’ s p l a n f o r d e l iv e r a n c e From the law and judgment to comfort… There is no Comfort Lamentation 1:2,9, 17, 21 Bitterly she weeps at night, tears are on her cheeks. Among all her lovers there is no one to comfort her. All her friends have betrayed her; they have become her enemies. Bitterly she weeps at night, tears are on her cheeks. Among all her lovers there is no one to comfort her. Zion stretches out her hands, but there is no one to comfort her. “People have heard my groaning, but there is no one to comfort me. C o m f o r t Ye … Comfort, Comfort Ye Comfort ye, comfort ye my people Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, Comfort ye, Comfort ye my people, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, saith your God. saith your God. that her iniquity is pardoned: that her iniquity is pardoned: The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. W h i l e a l l p e o p l e a r e l i k e g r a s s , t h e Wo r d o f God endures Your body is temporal but God is eternal “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” 6 Wa r r i o r - S h e p h e r d We can take comfort in Him for He fights our battle One arm in mighty battle… O n e a r m g e n t ly g a t h e r h i s f l o c k 10 11 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. God can comfort ye since He is the Sovereign creator He creates and He continues to work in His wisdom …and His wisdom He reminds us of His ownership Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? 12 13 Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counselor? 14 Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding? G o d c r e a t e d t h e u n iv e r s e He stretches the universe…… Tra n s c e n d t h e ex p a n d i n g u n ive r s e a b o ve t h e e a r t h He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. 22 H e c r e a t e d t h i s u n iv e r s e w i t h p r e c i s i o n Had the constants been not so finely tuned, life on earth wouldn’t have existed Gravity Had it been only slightly weaker (and/or electromagnetism slightly stronger), main sequence stars such as the sun would have been significantly colder and would not explode in supernovae, which are the main source of many heavier elements (Carr & Rees 1979). If, in contrast, gravity had been slightly stronger, stars would have formed from smaller amounts of material, which would have meant that, inasmuch as still stable, they would have been much smaller and more short-lived it been stronger, almost all hydrogen would have been burned in the very early universe Strong Had (MacDonald & Mullan 2009). Had it been weaker by a similar amount, stellar nucleosynthesis would Nuclear have been much less efficient and few, if any, elements beyond hydrogen would have formed. Had it been weaker, there would have been much more neutrons in the early universe, leading very Weak quickly to the formation of initially deuterium and tritium and soon helium. Long-lived stars such Nuclear as the sun, which depend on hydrogen that they can burn to helium, would not exist. Jeremiah 33 This is what the Lord says: ‘If I have not made my laws with day and night and established the laws of heaven and earth, 26 then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 25 Are you weighted down? Obstacles insurmountable? W h i l e i n e x i l e s , I s ra e l i te s a r e to l d p o we r f u l n a t i o n s a re d r o p i n a b u c ke t ; d u s t o n t h e s c a l e Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. 16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. 17 Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing. 15 Confronted with overwhelming force, how do you cope? Will you despair? Or, will you hope? "Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.“ -- St Augustine "Hope … means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do.“ -- CS Lewis He does not grow weary and weak, and he w i l l g iv e yo u s t r e n g t h A n d H e g ive s s t re n g t h to t h e we a r y H e w i l l n o t g ro w t i re d … 28 his 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 understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. 29 The command is to keep the faith, run the ra c e Not to stop running 29 30 31 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.