Dear Church Family, an update for July 11, 2010…
Thank you to Pastor Scott Shimada for the message from Isaiah 40:12-31, “In Who You Trust?” There are countless stories in the Bible that tell of God’s faithfulness to His people, such as David, Daniel, Moses, Abraham, Paul and many others. These were people who not only believed in God but put their trust in Him. Isaiah 40 is filled with rhetorical questions that were meant to persuade the people to trust in God. God wants us to be able to see and know without a shadow of a doubt that He is trustworthy. He is able to strengthen our faith, heal our wounds and restore lives. The book of Isaiah was written by one of the greatest prophets of all time. Being a prophet is not a popular job. His first 39 chapters were mostly words of judgment. He wanted to warn God’s people to repent and turn away from sin. The last 27 chapters, starting with chapter 40, are filled with forgiveness, comfort and hope. He describes the coming Messiah, Jesus, and offers hope to His people. From this passage, we will look to answer the question, “Why should I trust in the Lord?”
1) God is the Creator. Nothing and no one would be here if it were not for Him. He made you, me and everything we see. (v.12) Talking about God, He is able to do anything He wants. He does not have to answer to a Higher Power. He is the One and only. The Founder, Maker, Creator. (vv. 21-25) There is no one we can compare to God. He is the incomparable, the indescribable, the Alpha the Omega, the Beginning and the End, He is the King of all kings, the Lord of lords and the One and only true God. He is the Creator of all things. He made all things and all things are here because of Him. He made this world and He knows how it functions. He made us and He knows our every thought, the way we feel.
2) God knows all. (vv.13-14) He does not need anyone’s help, advice or counsel. He knows all and He knows everything about you. Nothing is hidden from Him. He knows what you go through. He feels your frustration. He understands your pain. He knows what is best for you. He is just waiting for you to call upon His name. So many times we try to do things ourselves. We don’t want to read the manual or we don’t want to stop for directions. We think we can do it ourselves. And sometimes we can. But why not ask God for His help from the beginning? Or would you rather be left lost in the dark? He can help you. He knows it all. Allow Him to guide you with your career…with your relationships…with your marriage…with your life. Let Him shed His light on things. He may not give you everything you want but He knows EXACTLY what you NEED. If we trust Him and allow Him to guide us, He will bless us in ways we could never imagine. Proverbs 3:5,6, talks about trusting in the Lord and not on our own understanding. (v. 28) God is our Creator and He knows all. His understanding is unsearchable, unfathomable, un-understandable!
3) God helps us. (vv. 29-30) – as we get older, we realize that our bodies cannot do what it used to. We get tired faster, and in life, we feel the aches in pains of everyday living. We get tired from doing the same things every day. There are frustrations like…unexpected bills, health issues, rude people, etc. Add all these up and we can get pretty weary. We stumble, we fall. We wanna quit. But verse 31 points out the good news! Hope means to expect, to wait, to be confident, to trust – it has the idea of a binding together. You can have confidence! Your strength will be renewed. You will soar on wings like eagles! You will run and not grow weary, you will walk and not be faint. Isn’t that amazing!? Isn’t that what you want? Are you tired of being beat down with life? Do you want to be able to “keep-on keepin’-on” even when you feel like you’ve had enough? Well, you can! You can come to the Only One who can help you. He can uplift you, strengthen you, restore you, heal you and help you to fly high!
We worship God who not only created all things and knows all things, but He is very concerned for our well being. His help is contingent on us submitting to Him and following Him. He doesn’t want you to trust Him half-heartedly. He wants you to be able to give your whole heart to Him. What will you decide to do? Trust in the things around you, or trust in the One and only God who is worthy to have your full and complete trust? Trust in God, who has proven since the beginning that He can be trusted.
Have a blessed week trusting in the Lord,
Stan, for SLZJCC