Hi. Welcome to this blog. I'm hoping that this can be a venue to further some discussion on things we talk about at New Life Church. Currently this blog will be devoted to some reflection on Isaiah 40. The concluding message in the "State of the Heart" series at our weekend services focused on Isaiah 40. We talked about how we can't fix the brokenness of our hearts, but we can prepare our hearts to receive the Saviour.
Here's the plan:
- Read through Isaiah 40 each day from now till Christmas. Do it once a day so that you get the feeling you are living with the passage. You'll be surprised what kinds of things stand out or impress you at different times.
- Use this blog to participate in the reflections (by signing up on this blog). I'm going to post a reflection at least once a week, and I hope that you will comment with your own reflections.
My expectation is that with this excercise we'll prepare our hearts with a greater sense of expectation for a Saviour, and with a more solid assurance that God will save us from all our brokenness. May you persevere with faith, hope, and love this Christmas season!
Thanks for setting up this blog and trying out something new. I'm looking forward to being a follower and especially to seeing how the Lord speaks to us through this passage this month!
ReplyDeleteLisa Vanderveen
Yes, good idea!
ReplyDeleteWhat hit me on the first read through the passage was how it brought together two things about God that we often separate.
On the one hand, it has some of the best known descriptions of God's majesty and power "He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers." (22)
But, it also includes some of the most tender passages about His personal care of us. "He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." (11) (I especially find this moving, now that we have a grandchild)
Often we tend to emphasize one or the other of God's attributes - personally loving and caring or majestic and powerful, far above us all - but this passage includes both.
Looking forward to learning from the others.
Bob Burkinshaw
I watched a video on the Solar System in the grade nine class at Langley Christian today and the first thing that came to mind was the words in verses 25 & 26. Did you know that earth is the only planet that can support the 2% of life in our solar system? Unlike all the other planets it's not too hot or too cold. It's the only planet that has liquid water instead of ice or none at all and the only planet that has oxygen for life. If it were to move on it's axis just slightly, we would either freeze to death or burn alive. Everything is so delicately balanced that there's no doubt that God planned everything out for us to live here. It impressed me so much that I started to quote pieces of Isaiah 40 in my mind as i was watching the video: "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?...Lift your eyes and look to the heavens - Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing."
ReplyDeleteOops, forgot to sign my name, sorry.
ReplyDeleteWinnie Meerse
Bob, I just suddenly realized that when you quoted that He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, I always thought of that as the earth being round or maybe referring to the earth's equator but, could it be that that refers to the earth's orbit and the fact that earth turns on it's axis? Can you imagine God sitting above our Solar System and watching the earth turn on its axis? Even without the other passage about the tending of His people like sheep, I see a mighty and gentle God at the same time, watching every move that the planets make and ensuring that nothing will deter earth from the course it needs to go, all for the sake of us grasshopper like people. Now that's what I call tenderness!!!
ReplyDeleteWinnie Meerse