The day my baby brother was born was perhaps one of the best in my whole life. Waiting for my baby brother to be born was like the worst thing in the world. At least that’s how 9-year-old Sharon felt at the time. You see, David was a “surprise blessing.” Not to God, just to the rest of the family. I had prayed for a little brother, and not long afterward both my mom and my sister-in-law were expecting. So on that fateful day in early August we made our way to the hospital and the doctor started an IV that would induce labor. I was so unbelievably excited. Well David decided he wasn’t quite ready yet, and after a few hours of trying to make it happen they all gave up trying. By the time we got home I was so mad and sad and disappointed. I remember crying and telling my mother, “Everyone else has a little brother or sister, all my friends. Why can’t I have one!!” Needless to say, my suffering was not long lived, and a week later baby brother arrived strong, healthy and basically wonderful.
I think there are two kinds of suffering, and maybe a third in between. One kind is imaginary, like me mourning the delay of a baby brother’s birth. Another is real. I think what I’m about to say will speak to both, and I hope my funny little store doesn’t overshadow the profound depth of our scripture passage. How can you know if your suffering is NOT for real? A distinguishing mark of the fake sufferer is a self-centered attitude. Busy feeling sorry for myself? Yeah, I’m probably not too perceptive of what others are going through. Check yourself. Did you just make it all about you and your problems? Don’t be like that. It’s not cool (This is the being-not-cool-voice-of-experience talking, so you can trust me). There is for real suffering close by, and it’s not a competition for whose got it worse. If you look around enough there is probably someone in needthat needs divine comfort. At the end of the day I want two things to happen for us: 1) Hear God’s word of comfort. 2) Proclaim God’s word of comfort. My mother, who is arguably the best person ever, didn’t respond to my tears with, “Suck it up kid, I’m the one who has to give birth!” Clearly, that was what I disserved. Nope, my wonderful mother wrapped her arms around me and reassured me that the wait would in fact be over soon enough. The passage below speaks to a beat-up, beat-down, ran over and squished like a bug, people of Israel. This is the ripped from your homeland and marched off to slavery, for real kind of suffering. But the Lord’s salvation is not far. The prophet says to them, ““Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins are pardoned. Yes, the Lord has punished her twice overfor all her sins.” Two things to remember while you wait for the Lord’s salvation. First, know that God sees and hears you. “O Jacob, how can you say the LORD does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights?” (27) Second, know that God can handle your real and even your perceived-suffering circumstances. “Who else has held the oceans in his hand?” (12). “Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary.” (28) Read the whole chapter, let it soak in deep. Sing with the prophet, and prepare your heart to receive the good news of Christmas. That our savior comes. Isaiah 40 (NLT) “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. 2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins are pardoned. Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over for all her sins.” 3 Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! 4 Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places. 5 Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The Lord has spoken!” 6 A voice said, “Shout!” I asked, “What should I shout?” “Shout that people are like the grass. Their beauty fades as quickly as the flowers in a field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the Lord. And so it is with people. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.” 9 O Zion, messenger of good news, shout from the mountaintops! Shout it louder, O Jerusalem. Shout, and do not be afraid. Tell the towns of Judah, “Your God is coming!” 10 Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes. 11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. The Lord Has No Equal 12 Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale? 13 Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord? Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him? 14 Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice? Does he need instruction about what is good? Did someone teach him what is right or show him the path of justice? 15 No, for all the nations of the world are but a drop in the bucket. They are nothing more than dust on the scales. He picks up the whole earth as though it were a grain of sand. 16 All the wood in Lebanon’s forests and all Lebanon’s animals would not be enough to make a burnt offering worthy of our God. 17 The nations of the world are worth nothing to him. In his eyes they count for less than nothing-- mere emptiness and froth. 18 To whom can you compare God? What image can you find to resemble him? 19 Can he be compared to an idol formed in a mold, overlaid with gold, and decorated with silver chains? 20 Or if people are too poor for that, they might at least choose wood that won’t decay and a skilled craftsman to carve an image that won’t fall down! 21 Haven’t you heard? Don’t you understand? Are you deaf to the words of God-- the words he gave before the world began? Are you so ignorant? 22 God sits above the circle of the earth. The people below seem like grasshoppers to him! He spreads out the heavens like a curtain and makes his tent from them. 23 He judges the great people of the world and brings them all to nothing. 24 They hardly get started, barely taking root, when he blows on them and they wither. The wind carries them off like chaff. 25 “To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One. 26 Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing. 27 O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? 28 Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. 29 He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. 30 Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. 31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
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AuthorThe Pastors of Cornerstone Wesleyan Church Archives
July 2017
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