God is Still Here

In times of trial and hardship, it can be easy to find ourselves asking God why. Why does this happen to us? Why is it hard? Or, as Psalm 10:1 says, "Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?" In the dark valleys, it can feel like the Creator of the valleys is nowhere to be found. This is how the Israelites felt in the time of Isaiah. To their question of supposed abandonment, God answers their question with a question of his own. "Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God’?" (Isaiah 40:27).

The Reality of God’s Presence

God poses his question with incredulity, almost like he’s asking them, "How could you ask me that?" He follows that with two more questions: "Have you not known? Have you not heard? At face value, God is supplying a potential reason for their question: perhaps they just didn't know who God is. It's as if God is suggesting that if the Israelites really believed that their right, or cause, has been overlooked by God, they must not have heard the front-page news: The Lord is the everlasting God.

But verses earlier, God had established that the Israelites know who he is, asking two rhetorical questions: "Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?” (v. 21). The question implies the answer, "Yes." The Israelites have heard from the beginning. They've known who God is from their earliest days. It's not an issue of ignorance, but of belief. The Israelites know who God is, but they are living like they don't. In bemoaning a belief that God has overlooked their cause, God says they have forgotten who he really is: the everlasting God. Outside time. Without beginning or end. The Creator of the entire universe, or "the ends of the earth." Far above all understanding. The God who never, ever slumbers and never, ever sleeps!

In the face of the Israelites despair and doubt, Isaiah 40 reminds them of the reality of who their God is: everlasting, Creator, all-knowing, all-seeing, all-ruling. This is their God. And when he rhetorically asks his people who it is that helps him be God and Creator, you can picture the ashamed Israelites, heads dropped, mumbling, "No one."

Not only is God a God to whom the mighty nations are like a drop in a bucket (v. 15), he is a God who gathers his Iambs in his arms with gentle care and compassion (v. 11). So why do the Israelites ask why God is far away? More personally, why do we? In moments of stress, pain, despair, we must rest in Isaiah 40 and elevate what we know to be true. Loved ones, we must remember who our God is. God is still here. God is still on the throne. When we wander, he is faithful. When we fall, he is gentle. When we are weak, he shows his strength. Yes, even in the weakness and hardship, he is present and he is ruling.

What God’s Presence Means for Us

If you were to pick a demographic representing the finest specimen of human energy and 

strength, which would you choose? I think for most of us, the demographic that comes to mind 

is “the young guy.” Whether it’s an 11-year-old boy scampering across the backyard or the 24 

year old running a half marathon and making it look easy, young men often seem to have 

boundless energy. What does that have to do with a God who is still here? Stick with me, and I think it will become clear. 

Verse 29 of chapter 40 says, “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.” The two observations I make from this verse are that first, God gives power. Any strength a believer has is ultimately sourced and supplied by God. After all, as verse 28 says, God is the one with endless power, so it makes sense that he is the only one who gives power. Secondly, God gives that power to the weak. This might be surprising if we think about it for a moment. Normally, we give the best resources to the best workers, and the best training to the best athletes. But God is different: he gives power to the weak. And oh, how precious that truth is! We are all weak, depleted. If you’re anything like me, you wake up some days and feel zero energy to even move a muscle out of bed, let alone face the challenges of the day. We are in desperate need of strength for each day, and that is what God has promised us. He gives power to the weak, and to him who has no might, he increases strength. 

How powerful is the strength God provides? Enter our young guy from the beginning. As a comparison, God gives the example of the most energetic human known to mankind: the young man (v. 30). As he saunters onto our page, look at his stunning physique and prowess. This dude is in the prime of life, with high metabolism and little to deter his energy, health, or strength. 

Well, before envy gets the best of us, God reminds us that even this specimen of unbridled energy grows weary. He gets tired. He falls exhausted. If you’ve ever seen Olympic athletes in an 800 meter dash, you’ve seen that at the end of the race, almost every single superhuman runner–whether first or last place–does the exact same thing: they fall on the ground and pant like a dog lapping up water (like I do when I climb a single flight of stairs, but that’s a whole other matter). Even the strongest among us are finite in their strength. And if these are best of the best, what does that say about the rest of us? But compare these youths with the weak who wait on the Lord for their strength. While the young men fall exhausted on the ground, the ones who renew their strength in God take to the skies with wings like eagles. They have so much energy and strength it’s like they’re flying with the majestic birds. Not only that, they run and do not grow weary, and walk without fainting. In short, there is no limit to their strength. Why? Because their limitless might comes from a limitless, mighty God. Lest we think much of ourselves, we must remember we possess nothing but depleted strength and weakness. Our power comes from God as we rely on him. Like the old song says, “Little ones to him belong, they are weak, but He is strong.” 

“They who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength” (v. 31). This is not a mantra of “When the going gets tough, the tough get going,” but rather, when the weak can’t get going, when those have nothing–not an eensy-weensy ounce left to give–they wait on the Lord. They look to their Creator to be their Sustainer. God does not help those who try to help themselves, but rather helps those who cannot help themselves. God’s power is not like an energy drink we chug to power us through. Instead, we should see this promise as an encouragement to rest. This is a call to “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) 

How do the weak gain access to this limitless storehouse of power? The weak remember that God alone gives strength, and they wait on him to give it. This waiting is not like a person at a bus stop waiting for transportation to arrive. Instead, this waiting speaks more to reliance. It is acting with a confidence that the God who promised will supply.

This will look different for every believer. For some, it means literally going to bed. We don’t try to push through, burning the candle at both ends, but instead entrust our unending to-do lists to the Sovereign God who has promised to give all we need. For others, that may mean pressing on even when it seems impossible and fruitless. Either way, waiting on the Lord means trusting God to care for our souls and the results of our labors. James 1:5 reminds us that if we ask God for wisdom, he will give it. Oftentimes, God’s wisdom comes through the words of those who know us best, so ask someone you trust who knows you, and invite them to honestly evaluate and speak to your situation. Ultimately, when we have nothing, the Lord has promised to give us all we need. So we “entrust [our] souls “to a faithful creator while doing good” (1 Peter 4:19). And we do not grow weary in doing good, for the powerful God gives us the strength we need. Rejoice, loved ones, for come what may, our God is still here.