Today’s Reading: 2 Kings 19; Isaiah 31-40

The King of Assyria was pressing in on the nation of Judah, making threats and taunting the people with plans to destroy Judah. The chief of staff made comments like, “Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you. He will never be able to rescue you from my power. Don’t let him fool you into trusting in the Lord by saying, ‘The Lord will surely rescue us…’” (2 Kings 18:29-30).

But King Hezekiah, knowing and trusting in God to deliver, prayed this prayer before the Lord:
“O Lord, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of ALL the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. Bend down, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance against the living God” (19:15-16).

Hezekiah knew how big his God was! The prophet Isaiah, through whom God replied to Hezekiah, knew how big God was! In fact, he knew God was TOO BIG TO FULLY UNDERSTAND – too awesome for our human minds to fathom!

Who else has held the oceans in his hand?
Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers?
Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?
Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord?
Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him?
Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice?
Does he need instruction about what is good?
Did someone teach him what is right or show him the path of justice? –Isaiah 40:12-14

To whom can you compare God? – Isaiah 40:18a

“To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.

Look up into the heavens.
Who created all the stars?
He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name.
Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing. – Isaiah 40:25-26

I love that passage! We serve a God who is more incredible than we can even wrap our minds around! A few years ago, as our family was driving to Florida, a new song came on the radio. In that quiet moment in the car, I felt like the lyrics were written just for me – as if God himself was speaking to me as I drove down the interstate. The song is “What do I know of holy?” by Addison Road.

Can we truly grasp how incredible our God is? Our human understanding causes us to compare God to what we know, but God is so much bigger than ANYTHING we know. So why do I question Him? Why do I think I know better than He does of what I need or what should happen? Consider the lyrics of this song by Addison Road:

I made You promises a thousand times
I tried to hear from Heaven
But I talked the whole time
I think I made You too small
I never feared You at all, No
If You touched my face would I know You?
Looked into my eyes could I behold You?

(CHORUS)
What do I know of You who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood but the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury? Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

I guess I thought that I had figured You out
I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about
How You were mighty to save
Those were only empty words on a page
Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be
The slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees

(CHORUS)
What do I know of You who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood but the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury? Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

If we were to try to understand the ocean by merely standing on the beach, we would gain so very little knowledge of the wonders of this great body of water. If we were to wade in as far as possible, our understanding would increase because we would be experiencing the power of the ocean, but we would still have so much to learn. To try to understand God requires diving deeper, going farther, trusting with a much greater faith. Our God is SO big, so CAPABLE of handling anything we may be facing.

O ________, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles?
O________, how can you say God ignores your rights?
Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.

Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint. – Isaiah 40:27-31