Pastor's Page

February & March 2019

Have you ever complained to God, either verbally or silently, and accused God of not taking care of you, and failing to notice the difficulties that surround your life?  Leaders like Moses and Isaiah often heard their people’s dissatisfaction with God.  In Isaiah 40, verse 27, the verse just before the one listed above, the prophet asks, "Why do you complain, why do you say, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God?"    

We shouldn’t be too hard on the Israelites.  At least they were being honest.  They were away from the Promised Land in exile in Babylon.  They were far away from the temple and the beauty of Mount Zion.  In the stresses of exile and foreign captivity, they voiced their feelings regarding God.  They complained that God had abandoned them.  They felt that God did not know their plight and was unaware of their dire situation.

It may surprise us to realize that when we complain about God’s lack of care, the real dilemma lies in the fact that we really do not know the character of God.  Isaiah is quick to point out both the ignorance and the short-term memory of God’s people.  In verse 28 above, Isaiah reminds us that our God is never plagued by fatigue or memory loss or confusion.  Our God is never "asleep at the switch." God is never afflicted by indecision or caught unaware by troubling circumstances.  These are very human shortcomings.  But God’s character is never reflected in human weaknesses.

Who does God help and strengthen?  Does God come to the aid of the strong, the competent, the clever, the eloquent, or the self-reliant?  Isaiah reminds us that those who know God’s strength are the weary, the weak, the stumbling and those who are falling.  God delights in equipping those who acknowledge their need and vulnerability and flaws.  We should spend time with this passage and reflect on the God it reveals to us.  When we are at the end of our abilities, we should resist the desire to complain that God’s abilities are equally limited.  Instead, our weakness is the entranceway to discovering a God who is ready and able and aware of our need.  Indeed God delights in giving us the strength necessary to replace our pint-size efforts.

   So as we move into the season of Lent next month let us pray that God’s Spirit will free us from accusing our Lord of abandoning us and not caring for us.  May God help us to know and trust Christ, so that our lives might bear testimony to God’s strength and constant care in every situation!

In the name of our ever faithful Lord Jesus,,

Buddy