RENEWED
Epiphany 5, 2018
Isaiah 40:21-31
“Renewed”
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick…” (Proverbs 13:12a) Jerusalem was the holy city. It was the place where God dwelled with His chosen people. It was the pride of the nations. But the people didn’t listen to God. They rejected His prophets, His laws, and His covenants. Even Solomon’s temple, where the Lord dwelled, would be destroyed. Following the destruction Lamentations records the scene: “All who pass along the way clap their hands at you; they hiss and wag their heads at the daughter of Jerusalem: “Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth?” (Lamentations 2:15)
“Judah has gone into exile under affliction and hard servitude; she dwells now among the nations, but finds no resting place; her pursuers have all overtaken her in the midst of her distress.” (Lamentations 1:3)
God’s chosen people; His beloved children were taken captive as slaves living in exile. Exile. The word conjures up ideas like forced population movement, mass deportation, refugee camps, prisoners of war, uncertainty, brutalization, displacement, and post traumatic stress disorder. “Exile is indeed the complete defeat, loss, and forfeiture of life with God.”
All hope had been taken away. If God would allow His people to be enslaved, their cities and homes to be raised, and His dwelling place to be destroyed…what was left for this remnant? Did God love them anymore? Would God ever forgive them? “Will God be angry with us forever? “ (Psalm 85:5)
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick…” (Proverbs 13:12a) We may not have gone through exile like that of the Israelites but we know what it is like to lose hope. When we or a loved one loses their job we know what it’s like to lose hope. When a loved one is battling sickness and disease…we know what it’s like to lose hope. When everything seems to be falling apart… our marriage, our family, our friends, our lives… we know what it’s like to lose hope. When things are so rough that every day feels like you’re in slow motion…walking through a heavy fog… you know what it’s like to lose hope. When you pray…without ceasing…and never seem to get an answer…you know what it’s like to lose hope.
Our text reminds us that “Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted.” (Isaiah 40:30) Regardless of age…sin and Satan take us to our limit. This sinful life is an exhausting life; it is a constant struggle. And we fail. We fail often. We fail those we love most. We fail ourselves and we fail God. We are all sinners and we all fail… young and old, rich or poor, strong or weak…we fail. And the more we fail…the more life seems hopeless. The longer our hope is deferred; as more time passes while we cling to hope…the more our hearts grow weak. We stumble. We stagger. We fall. Our hope fades. Our faith weakens. Just like the Israelites.
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for 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.” (Isaiah 40:28-31)
Don’t you remember who God is and what He has promised? Sometimes we need to remember in the midst of our problems what God has promised. For we have a God that does not grow weary or faint. We have a God that does not stumble or fall. We have a God who is beyond comprehension. His love and mercy are unfathomable. Indeed He gives power to the faint and strength to the weak.
All of us stumble and fall. All of us get exhausted. Even the strongest grow weary in this world. But not God. And those who wait for the Lord. Those who wait shall have their strength renewed. Those who wait shall be mounted up with wings like eagles. Those who wait shall run and not be weary; shall walk and not be faint.
But how do we wait? How do we keep the faith. How do we hold on to hope… especially when the wait takes so long and sin bears down on us? We admit to ourselves and God that there is no other help than in the Lord. We persevere and refuse to engage in frantic worry. And we keep believing that God will act.
And God will act. We may not get the answer we wanted or are looking for. God may not act as quickly as we want. But God will act. He will do what is best for us. He will renew us. We may face trials and tribulations. We may go through hell on earth. But God will act. We may face sin and its consequences head on. We may lose our worldly possession and those we love. We may face sickness and disease. We may suffer and die. But God will act.
How can we be so confident? Because God has already acted. Jesus was born to save us. Jesus lived for us. Jesus died and rose for us. God has acted. God continues to act. God will act. He acts in our lives to bring us closer to Him. He acts in our lives to bring us home. God acts. We are forgiven and saved. God acts and He carries us home.
By faith we may continue to confess “In God, my faithful God, I trust when dark my road; Tho’ many woes o’er-take me, yet He will not forsake me. His love it is doth send them And, when ’tis best, will end them.” (TLH 526)
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12). In Christ we are renewed. By faith He is the joy of our desire; He is our tree of life eternal. Amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.
