Christine Wilson-Sharp10.9.17

Christine Wilson-Sharp10.9.17

Isaiah40 v 12 – 31(N.K.J)

Art thou Weary?

When I was a teenager in the Methodist church , there was a hymn which I’m afraid I mocked. As far as I recall, it had a dreary tune to go with, what I considered to be, dreary words. It goes like this:

“Art thou weary, art thou languid, Art thou sore distressed?”

Well, that was enough for this teenager – I’m not sure I took any notice of the next bit:

“Come to Me”, saith One, “and coming, Be at rest”

I don’t suppose I would have got the message; I wastoo busy feeling superior to such an old-fashioned hymn.

It came to mind when I started to look at this passage in Isaiah, so I googled it and found this little story reported by the great Sangster:

An Englishwoman in Blackburn had heard the gospel of full and free salvation in an adult Sunday School. She had embraced it and gradually became a faith-filled consistent Christian. Her Class-leader wrote to Sangster explaining that, despite a serious illness, she was always a pleasure to visit. On one occasion she told him that the evening before, when she had been left alone for the night, ‘a cloud came over her spirit, the sense of loneliness grew upon her, and she seemed forsaken of God. All looked black and she dreaded the long, lone night.

Then, in the quiet night, she heard the sound of a workman’s clogs on the pavement outside. The man was evidently on his way home from a religious meeting and he was full of joy singing a loud and joyful song(evidently to a different tune than I knew) ‘Art thou weary, art thou languid?’ The singer went on his joyful way, but deep into her heart went the words: ‘Come to Me,’ says One, ‘and coming, be at rest’. Again she cast herself upon the Lord, the cloud departed, peace and rest filled her heart and she doubted no more.

But Isaiah doesn’t start this teaching with verses 30 and 31 about waiting on the Lord to renew our strength, so let’s go back to the first part of the passage.

Part 1Get God in perspective.

Finding Nemo:Two tiny fish from the coral reef are out in the great ocean. They see a ‘Little fish’ in distance and Dory calls to it, ‘Come along little fish, come along’. And it comes - it turns out it wasn’t a little fish, but a whale in the distance.

Those little pin-pricks of light in the night sky turn out to be massive balls of flaming gas, unimaginably great, but far away.

It’s all a question of getting things in perspective.

Isaiah starts with rhetorical questions to try to help his readers understand the greatness, the majesty, the power, the righteousness, the otherness, of Almighty God. In Isaiah’s day, the nations all around had a pantheon of gods. Isaiah is declaring the uniqueness of the God who created the universe and all in it and the earth and all in it; and what’s more, this God of creation is not only the one and only God, but personal and One who could be communicated with and who communicates with people. Dr Clifford Hill writes that this was ‘a revolutionary message radically different from anything in the contemporary pagan religions and different from anything previously heard in Israel.’

God is way beyond any comparison.

Part 2God’s heart-cry

We hear God’s heart-cry in Isaiah’s outbursts: ‘Haven’t you been paying attention? Haven’t you been listening?’ ‘Haven’t you heard these stories all your life? Don’t you understand the foundation of all things?’; ‘Haven’t you known? Haven’t you heard?’ The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor grows weary.’

This is where we need to start. Knowing the unknowable; experiencing the God, who is so holy that we would be destroyed by that holiness, were it not for His mercy.

Part 3The need

Israelwas having a tough time; they were distressed, confused, hurting, and worn down and God seemed far away and uninterested. ‘My way is hidden from the Lord, and my just claim is passed over by my God.’ complained Israel.

We have times like that, don’t we? Maybe you’re in one now. The waves are crashing over our boat and it seems as though God neither sees nor cares, or that he is impotent to help us. Things go from bad to worse and terrible fear threatens to overwhelm us, but all the time He does see and know and He comes in the midst of it all and yet Lord of it all and He says, ‘Take courage, it’s Me.’

St Andrews has been in a bit of a squall this summer. Among us there has been some confusion, distress, anger, hurt and even loss of hope. Maybe we feel, like Israel, that God doesn’t hear, or care, or that He has left us.

Let’s hear the cry of Isaiah:

Isaiah 40:28-31New King James Version (NKJV)

28Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
29He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

This is a word to the broken-hearted, the exhausted, the hurting.

First, Remember God.

Lam. 3: 19 – 24Jeremiah is in deep despair; he feels trapped, broken, torn, mocked and helpless. He writes that his ‘soul sinks within’ him, but then he writes“this I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion’, says my soul, ‘therefore I hope in Him!’”

Can you see?He chooses to bring to mind the love, grace, mercy and compassion of Almighty God, the God of Covenant, and hope is restored.

Going back a bit in Isaiah 40 to v 10, 11

Behold the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; Behold his reward is with him and His work before Him.

He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arms and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

This is God’s heart.

Part 3Waiting on God

31But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength;

I chose to use the New King James Version for today because it uses the word ‘wait’ which carries more meaning than the NIV’s ‘hope’.

Qavah means to wait for, look for, expect, hope;

Amp.But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him]

So, how do we ‘wait on the Lord’? I think Proverbs 3:5 – 8 (NKJ)is helpful:

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

7Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
8It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones.

We make a conscious effort to put all our trust in God, soaking ourselves in His word and wisdom, so that we submit to Him in every situation. (from E.D.W.J. notes by Mary Evans)

Part 4Conclusion

So, if you find yourself in a storm of life, remember:

Bring to mind who God is; His transcendence of anything we know or understand.
Remember Jesus, the Good shepherd, how He cared about people on earth and how He died for you. Paul wrote: ‘consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.’
Then make a conscious effort to put your trust in Him. Wait hopefully and expectantly for Him to fulfil His purposes in you and through you.
Don’t rely on your feelings, trust that He hears and will answer.

Response time

Time of quiet to meditate on His power and glory; or to consider Jesus and His sacrifice for you.

A couple of weeks ago, Linda led us in a time of repentance. Today, I want to encourage you to forgive. If someone has hurt you in some way, recently or in the past, now is a good time to forgive them. Don’t worry about whether what they did or said was right or wrong, intentional or unintentional (God knows about that), but if it caused you pain or distress, you can choose to forgive them and be free of it. It is important to face and name the emotions that the words or actions aroused in you. Don’t wait till you feel like forgiving, choose to do it now.

Heavenly Father, thank you that you have freely forgiven me for all my sins. Please bring to my mind now anyone that I need to forgive.

I choose now to forgive…….for ……..which made me feel ……..

I choose now to forgive ……..with all my heart and I will not hold it against him or her any more.

I ask You now to bless ……

In Jesus’ name. Amen

Our FatherWho art in heaven,Hallowed be Thy name.

They kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory,Forever and ever,Amen.