God is GREAT! He is broader, more powerful, deeper, and more extensive than we could ever begin to grasp. That is a comfort to His children. We are consoled in His might and by His unfathomable power for several reasons.
First, He chose to forgive our sin and end our punishment. In fact He has forgiven our sins two-fold. So every sin we ever committed known or unknown is forgiven and every sin we will still commit is paid for. There is no more sin to pay for and no more punishment to receive ever. Verses 1-2 read,
“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord's hand
double for all her sins.”
Secondly, He will not remain far-off. We believers know we have Jesus, God With Us and we know we have the Holy Spirit, Our Comfort within us. The Father isn’t so faraway to those of us who have a relationship with Him now. We have free access to speak to Him anytime and He listens and speaks to us. That is beautiful. But that intimacy will become even more so when one day, The LORD will be with us face to face. We will be in the presence of His immeasurable glory. Verses 3-5 read,
“A voice cries:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Thirdly, He is unchanging and eternal. Even His Word is forever. We can trust Him, have faith in him and depend on Him because we know He is constant and unwavering. Everything on this earth is fleeting, but God is not. Our flesh is evanescent but God is not. He is forever and even His word is undeviating. Verse 8 reads,
“The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.”
Fourth, He is a God of action and justice. He does what He says He will do. He has come and He is coming. Verses 10-11 read,
“Behold, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.”
The comfort I get from The Lord leading me, caring for me and loving me is so beautiful. The same God who will make our enemies pay for their evil, has forgiven mine. He holds me lovingly in His strong arms and leads me along His way. His love is profound.
Fifth, God created the entire Universe, He knows every speck and every spec of it. We don’t even know how much one mountain weighs, but God knows in detail every molecule of the mountain, the valley, the earth, the sky, the Heavens, and even the parts of the Universe that you and I do not know exist. He knows it, He created it. He is on control of it. We can lean on Him. Maybe the world seems chaotic, but God understands it so we can lean on His understanding and trust. Verse 12 reads,
“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure
and weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?”
Sixth, God is not dependent on man for ANYthing. He didn’t require us when He created the world. He didn’t need advice on how to make anything. He doesn’t need our help for miracles. He doesn’t necessitate our service. We serve Him not because He commands us, compels us, or even expects us to serve Him. We serve Him out of the joy, gratitude and love He gives us for saving us. We serve Him out of the love of relationship we have with Him and through Him. Even that service and the gifts we use to serve Him are dependent on Him. Verse 13 reads,
“Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord,
or what man shows him his counsel?”
Seventh, God is incomparable to anything or anyone we can dream up. We may give him human features and assign Him the traits we would like Him to have, but we do so in our limited knowledge and our narrow understanding. God alone is God. There is no one and nothing like Him. Verse 18 reads,
“To whom then will you liken God,
or what likeness compare with him?”
He is The LORD. He is Sovereign. He is Almighty, Eternal, Creator, Father, Savior, and Comforter. He is I Am! He knows you intimately because He made you. He cares about you. He loves you. Verses 27-31 read,
“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”?
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.”
So go ahead, put your trust in Him. Let Him love you and care for you. Let Him restore you, rejuvenate you and keep you going. He is God. Remember who He is.