“My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God” (Isaiah 40:27b).
Can you relate to these words? How often have you harbored a similar thought? Have there been moments in your life when you, like the Israelites, felt completely abandoned or unnoticed by God? Have you ever wondered where He was in the face of your trouble, beginning to question His very existence—or at the very least, whether or not He cares about you at all?
I have. I think we all have. Because the reality is that life brings with it challenges and obstacles that leave us feeling utterly lost, confused, and hopeless. And when this happens, it’s easy to forget about the greater reality of the One in whom our hope lies.
This is the reality that Isaiah is addressing at the end of chapter 40 when he asks the people, “Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God’?” He’s not asking this question because he is curiously awaiting their answer, following which he will respond with, “Oh, great point, that makes a lot of sense!” He is asking this question so that he can debunk their flawed logic and help them refocus their skewed perspective.
“Do you not know?” he continues in verse 28. “Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.” Isaiah is pointing the people back to their source of hope. He is not revealing new information here. When he says, “Do you not know? Have you not heard?”, it’s as though he is knocking on their hollow heads and saying, “Hello in there! You guys already know this stuff! Do you need a reminder?”
They did need a reminder. They needed to be reminded that God was bigger than their problems, and that His ways were beyond their understanding. They needed to be reminded that just because they couldn’t see Him in the moment, that didn’t mean that He wasn’t there.
And truth be told, I often need this reminder myself. When life becomes more difficult than I bargained for, I can easily lose focus on who my God truly is. I can overlook the fact that He is still with me, even when I can’t sense His presence. I can forget that “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (verse 29). I start trying solve my problems on my own, and power my way through life by my own strength instead of relying on His.
Perhaps you’ve experienced the same. And perhaps, like me, you need to employ Isaiah’s strategy of reminding yourself who God is when the situation seems hopeless. When you feel like life is at its worst, remind yourself that “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
But don’t just remind yourself. Take the advice! Hope in the Lord, and be renewed. And then, get ready to soar!
-Talasi Guerra
(Director of Children and Family Ministries)