Thursday February 5th, 2015 Isaiah 40:21-31
It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in. (verse 22)
Have you ever looked at the stars on a dark night away from the city, perhaps while camping? Have you hiked in the high mountains, with peaks, valleys and lakes, even glaciers, in the distance around you? Have you walked on the beach along the coastline, with waves crashing and the sea extending as far as you can see? What a feeling this can give us!
Our significance as separate individuals diminishes. In fact we are, the text mentions, like grasshoppers! In these encounters with nature and its Creator, we forget ourselves. Rather than being scary or a loss, this is a great liberation. Our being expands as we realize our oneness with the earth and all that is, and with the God of all things who cares for us. This is the God who comes down to us, and “who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.” (verse 23)
The prophet’s message is a refresher, a reminder, to keep things in perspective. God is God and we’re not. What a relief! Our posture is to “wait for the LORD” (verse 31) in openness and trust.
Lord, open us to you and all that is. Amen. — TDW
Contributed by In Perspective
Have you ever looked at the stars on a dark night away from the city, perhaps while camping? Have you hiked in the high mountains, with peaks, valleys and lakes, even glaciers, in the distance around you? Have you walked on the beach along the coastline, with waves crashing and the sea extending as far as you can see? What a feeling this can give us!
Our significance as separate individuals diminishes. In fact we are, the text mentions, like grasshoppers! In these encounters with nature and its Creator, we forget ourselves. Rather than being scary or a loss, this is a great liberation. Our being expands as we realize our oneness with the earth and all that is, and with the God of all things who cares for us. This is the God who comes down to us, and "who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing." (verse 23)
The prophet's message is a refresher, a reminder, to keep things in perspective. God is God and we're not. What a relief! Our posture is to "wait for the LORD" (verse 31) in openness and trust.
