Behold Your God
Opening Prayer
Lord, Your glory and majesty exceeds our ability to comprehend it.
Read Isaiah 40:1–11
Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.
3 A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“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.”
9 You who bring good news to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
10 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.
11 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.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
“Frail as summer’s flower we flourish, blows the wind and it is gone, But while mortals rise and perish, God endures unchanging on” (Henry Francis Lyte, 1793–1847).
Think Further
The weekly problem for ministers of God’s Word is “What shall I preach this Sunday?” Longing for a voice from heaven to give them the message, they might envy the experience of Isaiah in verses 6–8. The message the prophet receives is twofold; life is both frail and transitory! Even the rich and powerful fade like the grass or the flower of the field. In Israel, neither lasted long because of the strength of the Mediterranean sun. In such a world, we need a foundation we can build our lives upon. The powerful antidote to the uncertainty of life is the eternal Word of God (8).
If we have confidence in God’s Word, we will be able to proclaim the same truths as were declared by the prophet. There is comfort for God’s people, for the Gospel brings the forgiveness of sin and blots out all enmity with God (1,2). The appearance of Christ at the Jordan is the ultimate fulfillment of verse 3 (cf. Matt. 3:3). He is the revelation of the glory of the Lord (5; 2 Cor. 4:6), the one whom all people will see (5). Nothing can thwart the coming of Christ, neither earthly powers nor the sin of our lives (4,5). What parts of my own life need leveling out?
When we have confidence in God’s eternal Word, we will have the same confidence in God himself. We are to encourage each other and say to the world around us, “Behold your God!” (9, KJV). Isaiah speaks not of just a quick glance; the sight of God should captivate us. When we properly perceive God, we perceive that he has the strength of the mightiest ruler (10) coupled with the gentleness of the most protective shepherd (11). When the promised Christ came, we saw those truths embodied in him.
Apply
Be held by God’s greatness and glory and have confidence in every promise of God’s everlasting Word.
Closing prayer
Lord, guide me as a vulnerable sheep in the care of the Great Shepherd of the Sheep (Heb. 13:20).
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Encounter with God is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.