Reading from the daily devotion one morning, I obeyed God’s command through the prophet Isaiah to “lift up [my] eyes and look to the heavens” (v. 25). I lifted up my eyes and looked through the tall windows of my living room. As I did, I became engrossed in the clear skies and the clouds that moved slowly along. Then it occurred to me that the clouds I saw one minute before had moved on and were no longer there. I enjoyed this vantage point and welcomed the peace that overcame me as I enjoyed the view. “I should do this more often,” I thought to myself.
God asked through Isaiah, “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal? Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? (v. 25-26a). As I continued to look upwards, I realized how much time I spend looking down and around me. The vast skies reminded me of how small I am and how insignificant today’s burdens will be tomorrow – just like the clouds that appear one minute and slowly drift away the next. Then my upward gaze shifted to “He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing” (v. 26b). Think about this. If He laid out the skies like canopies and hung the stars, sun and moon in their rightful places,
Why do you complain, [insert your name here]?
Why do you say, [insert your name here],
“My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is
disregarded by my God”?
Do you not know?
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 (v. 27-28)
There are moments when I grow weary of waiting for a promise. I know you do, too. The circumstances around you do not reflect that for which you are holding on in faith. But Isaiah is saying, “hold on and do not faint.” God’s Word gives us fresh perspective today and every day thereafter. Your hopelessness or weariness do not surprise Him. That is why He has made provision way ahead of your need:
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but 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 (v. 29-31)
So lift up your eyes! Look to the heavens and be strengthened!
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