Wednesday, July 23, 2014

God Equips Us To Comfort Others


Isaiah 40: 28-31 -  Have you never heard or understood? Don't you know that the LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.  He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak.  Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up.  But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

 

It is one of Isaiah’s best works…the go to for all of us that are facing a storm…are in the middle of a storm….or just come through one safely. It puts the whole of God’s being in a nutshell.  God will never be completely understood.  God gives power to everyone that needs it…..IF….we wait on is timing.

 

The beginning of this great chapter tells us to continue the work of comforting others. The end tells us where to get the power and strength to do it. The boundaries of our capabilities … only known to God. The sky is the limit…which gives us a pretty big playing field….cause the atmosphere that God created to support our need for oxygen is about 60 miles thick.  And when you multiply that by the almost 8,000 mile diameter of the planet God lets us live on….that gives us 480,000 square miles of playground.

 

The bottom line for me when you put the two together is that when he called us to comfort others…he also equipped us with everything we need to do it with.  We just have to tap into his love by accepting the gift of salvation he offers to all.  That scripture isn’t just for us when we are in a ‘pickle.’ That scripture is a call to tell others about the power God holds to comfort everyone who has ever suffered pain.

 

Do me a favor this morning…or afternoon….or sometime today.  And read that scripture with you name in it.  …….in a slightly different tense.  ____________,Have you never heard or understood? _____________,Don't you know that I AM the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? _____________,I never grow faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of my understanding.  ____________,I give power to you when you are tired and worn out and strength when you are weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up.  But ____________, if you trust and wait on me, you will find new strength. You will fly high on wings like eagles. You will run and not grow weary. You will walk and not faint.

 

For me…the fact that he helped me through so many storms… means he is going to use me to comfort others that are stuck in the middle of one somewhere. That’s how he equips us…he takes our hand and walks with us through a storm so we can guide someone else who doesn’t know him. The first hand experience he gives us is a powerful tool he uses to help others.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I can have all the power I need from you…if I wait on the right timing to have it.  Thank you for helping me through the storms you have allowed in my life.  Help me find the people you need me to comfort…and reveal to me just the right part of what you taught me to share with them. Forgive me for not seeing some of the ones you already sent. Open my ears and eyes and heart to hear like you do…so I don’t miss anymore. Amen.

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