Title: God of Restoration / Isaiah 40:27-31
Contents Main text: Isaiah 40:27-31
1. The soul trap we fall into: verse 27
God promised the Israelites, “I will be your God, and you will be my people.” This is a promise made by God, the Lord of the universe, on your honor. The Israelites kept this promise of blessing in their hearts and lived. However, the northern province of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrian Empire. And 70 years later, the southern part of Judah was captured by Babylon, and they were taken into captivity and lived there. Doubts and skepticism arose in the hearts of the Israelites, who were expecting only the fruits of God's blessings every day. When the Israelites invaded them, they asked, “Where was God?” “Why are you being quiet when we are suffering like this? He protested (verse 27).
Even we, who have received forgiveness of sins through Jesus and become children of God, sometimes feel that God is too far away. Or, sometimes it feels like the God we call our heavenly Father is not answering our cry.
2. God's Answer: Verses 28-29
The hearts of the Israelites were full of questions and protests about God. But, looking at the people of the covenant who were frustrated, God said, “Did you not know or have you not heard?” God is frustrated when we don't know what we need to know or hear what we need to hear. God answered them, “O Jehovah the Eternal God, the One who created the ends of the earth does not grow weary or weary, nor does his understanding know limit.” He answered them, telling them what they needed to know. We must know who the God who became our heavenly Father is.
First, we must know that our heavenly Father is a God who cares even about our innermost circumstances.
We sometimes think, "God won't see my situation, he won't look at my difficulties." There are times when I think that the situation I am in today has nothing to do with God. However, Jehovah God, who created this world, knows our inner circumstances and knows the details of our circumstances. No, our Heavenly Father is with us, who knows our own inner circumstances deeper and more deeply than we do. It is faith that we acknowledge this fact.
Second, we need to know that God knows how to overcome our circumstances.
We ourselves are frustrated because we can't see our own way out. They conclude that there is no way and sometimes have extreme thoughts and actions. But God sees the way for us to go. Since God already sees the way to overcome today's crisis, He guides us step by step on that path. Belief in this fact is faith.
Third, we must know that God is the One who restores those who have lost their strength.
God provides the power and strength of God to the weary and incompetent life. The world gives more power to the powerful and takes power away from the weak. However, God comes to those who have lost their strength and meets them. God cannot leave His people, who have become powerless and helpless because of His mercy and mercy. God comes to an incompetent life to restore the weary and the weary. And God gives the strength to stand up to those who have exhausted their lives.
3. Those who wait for the Lord - Life of restoration: verses 30-31
It does not mean that those who fear God do not exhaust their lives or face crises at all. Even people of faith who fear God can face a crisis and be exhausted. However, the person of faith is restored again with the new power that God gives. It is the power of restoration given to those who fear God. The Israelites lived a difficult life in captivity. But God gave them the strength to live that difficult life, and even gave them the strength they needed to return to their homeland from Babylon. The people of Israel, who were supplied with the strength God gave them, were able to survive and recover. It is a history of recovery. God is the One who gives those who fear Him the strength to overcome each moment, moment by moment. I believed that I could not win, but He gave me the strength to handle that moment. The life of those who serve God as their father is a life of restoration.
So let's think about what it means to fear God.
First, to fear God is to acknowledge and proclaim God as God at every moment.
Throwing away negative thoughts and confessing our faith in God with our lips is a concrete expression of fearing God. It is a confession with our lips, “God's grace works.” God does good. Or to declare that I will depart towards the darkness that affects my life, in the name of Jesus. Through this confession, you will receive the new strength that God gives you.
Second, to fear God is to express faith in concrete actions.
Even if we are exhausted and lose all our strength, when we worship and praise Him as we are before God, we will be supplied with the new strength that God gives us. Even though we may not be able to pray because we are too exhausted, God gives us heavenly refreshment like the drizzle when we are in the presence of God.
concluding remarks
We expected God's blessings, but sudden difficulties can exhaust and exhaust our lives. However, it is clear that God knows all the difficulties and has already opened the way for us to go. When our exhausted and exhausted lives proclaim our faith in front of Him and come to us as we are in weakness, waiting for the Lord and standing toward God, He gives us the strength to overcome and restores our lives anew.