Dear Writer, I hope you had a good week and were encouraged to hone in on God’s priorities and heart for you in this season as a gatekeeper of His glory! This week, we’re looking at Part 2 of the message of comfort God impressed on my heart for today’s writers.
If you missed last week, you can catch the first half here. The message is broken into segments with the scriptures clearly noted. The words I felt the Lord gave me are in italics, while the remainder of the text is my additional thoughts.
In this second part, we’ll see more about who God is to us as writers and our response to Him and His call in the midst of the world’s chaos. I hope this word strengthens you in the truth of God’s loving purposes for you in this season!
Isaiah 40 – The Lord’s Comfort (Part 2)
10 Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand,
And His arm shall rule for Him;
Behold, His reward is with Him,
And His work before Him.
11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.
This is a season to…
Remember who He is!
To remember who He really is. Sometimes, though we think we know God, we project our humanity and OUR attitudes onto Him. This is a season to clearly divide how we feel about ourselves versus how He feels about us.
There may be areas we know God very well and others areas we don’t because God’s heart is so vast. I encourage you to press into any area of Him that He is highlighting to you, because the more we get to know Him, the more we trust Him. And the more we trust Him, the easier it is to obey. As we actively lean into those areas where He’s unfamiliar to us, our obedience can become quicker and more confident.
Also, in this particular season, it’s important that we come to know Him in these specific ways…
He is the source of strength.
This is a season that demands strength, and He is the only source of true strength. And not just any strength. God is the source of strength we need to do the hard things. The things you know He’s been asking that you’ve been afraid to do. The things you can only do with Him.
As you lean into His strength to do those things, you will get to know Him in a whole new way as you say “yes” to what you know is impossible apart from Him. If you let Him, He’ll do the things you know you can’t.
It’s also a time to know…
He rules sovereignly.
No matter what is happening or how chaotic life or the world feels—He is in charge. He’s not surprised. He has a plan. And He never lets anything happen unless He can create something better from it than we ever imagined. Even from the worst things. The very worst things. You see, He only allows the enemy to do what He knows He can flip on its head for our good.
It’s also a time to know…
He is the reward.
Selah.
It’s a time to know…
He will feed/provide for you
There’s a lot of uncertainty in the world right now. If we allow ourselves to be caught up in it, especially regarding money and provision, those worries will pull us right off of the things God intends us to do. Money is never a problem for God. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He can literally create anything out of nothing.
If we decline to follow His will for lack of finances or resources, we will miss what He desires for us. But when we trust Him, He’ll provide what we need, though it may not always feel comfortable or in our timing.
Finally, it’s a time to know that…
He will carry you when you are weak.
In those moments of weakness, it’s important to remember that He’s got us. In fact, He’s closer then ever. Sometimes our weakness is simply a need to discern when to rest. Other times, it’s an invitation to lean into Him. Whether He’s leading you to rest or to press on, every need you have met is in Him.
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,
Measured heaven with a span
And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure?
Weighed the mountains in scales
And the hills in a balance?
This is season to understand…
God has designed every aspect of this earth to work perfectly.
Including your life. Even if things don’t seem to fit together, He knows exactly how it fits together. And as we begin to align more closely with who He is, we’ll also align more and more naturally with His design and purposes to find that place of flow. This come from knowing His word and standing on His word. From knowing Him and relying on Him…
The more we trust and align with Him, the more we’ll find ourselves in the places He’s meant for us to be, because He “busies himself about the steps of a righteous man or woman.” When I try to direct myself, I end up in the ditch. But we can rest in His sovereignty and trust His guidance.
13 Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,
Or as His counselor has taught Him?
14 With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him,
And taught Him in the path of justice?
Who taught Him knowledge,
And showed Him the way of understanding?
This is a time to ask yourself, if God knows everything…
Then why do you try to insist that His call for your life or His opinion of you is wrong?
There are so many ways we can question God without realizing it. Sometimes our doubts even seem humility or holiness. But our attempt to lower ourselves beneath His opinion actually defaces His glory in us. Such attempts to deny His opinion of us is an atrociously arrogant stance to take. This is a season to lean into His grace to drop those attitudes. Because in this season…
We must work to have the same opinion of ourselves that God does.
And it may take some work to accomplish this. For some, this may be the harder work, but it’s a work that’s worth doing. Because here’s the thing… How can two walk together unless they are agreed? (Amos 3:3)
If we want to walk in all that God has for us, we have to start agreeing with who He says we are, so that we don’t short-circuit and cut the feet out from under every blessing He’s trying to give us.
15 Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket,
And are counted as the small dust on the scales;
Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.
16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn,
Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering.
17 All nations before Him are as nothing,
And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.
As we remember God’s greatness, this is a season to ask ourselves…
So why do you let trouble among the nations keep you from serving God?
There’s so much happening in our world and so many things we see and hear that can push our hearts and minds and thoughts in any direction but the call of God for our lives. But in this season we need to stay focused on Him and His call. And if you don’t know what your call is, it’s a season to discover it.
You see, one of the biggest attacks we face right now is distraction. This is the enemy’s number one attack against all believers, because if you are distracted, he never even has to fight you. To fight these distractions, we must know when and where to trust God. That doesn’t mean we don’t pray for what’s happening in the world around us. However, it’s a season to know when to leave those prayers at the foot of His throne and continue with His mission for us.
18 To whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare to Him?
19 The workman molds an image,
The goldsmith overspreads it with gold,
And the silversmith casts silver chains.
20 Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution
Chooses a tree that will not rot;
He seeks for himself a skillful workman
To prepare a carved image that will not totter.
This is a season to realize…
God is incomparable to any substitute (source) for blessing.
See, there is no substitute for blessing in this world. Everything we need is found in Him. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t enjoy ourselves in this season. But in this season, anything we start pursuing for ourselves will only wear us out. Or to say it another way, this is season to boldly seek first His kingdom and stop hedging our bets.
21 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
23 He [j]brings the princes to nothing;
He makes the judges of the earth useless.
In this season…
Do not let politics stop you.
God is the one over all!
This is a season that regardless of who is in power or who you do like and don’t like…you can’t let political leaders and events distract or stop you from what God has for you to do! God is giving us a window of opportunity in this season, and we’re to press in and make the most of the opportunity He’s given.
You wee, we’re in a place where what we pour in on this side, will determine outcomes out on the other side and what He has in hand to multiply. It’s a time to stay focused.
24 Scarcely shall they be planted,
Scarcely shall they be sown,
Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth,
When He will also blow on them,
And they will wither,
And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.
This is a season to remember…
God can overthrow the wicked rulers in a moment.
God is actually the one who sets up rulers. He sets them up, and He takes them down. That doesn’t mean every ruler aligns with His heart, but it does mean that He is using all of them to accomplish a purpose in the earth.
Sometimes, He’s using leaders to wake us and cause us to rise up, to pray, and to answer our call, whether that’s to write, to start a business or a ministry, or whatever it is He’s asked you to do…
He’s sovereign over all. He’s using world events purposefully. And He can overthrow the wicked in a moment. It’s nothing to Him. You can see this demonstrated over and over again in history, as civilizations that looked impenetrable toppled. Never to be heard from again.
This is a season to ask yourself…
Are you and the work He’s given you ready and positioned for His new things?
It’s a time to stay focused on our assignment from Him. Again, not to say we don’t pray and intercede. But once we’ve prayed, we must learn to leave our prayers at the throne, until He brings them up again. Or we return to our regular time of prayer.
25 “To whom then will you liken Me,
Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high,
And see who has created these things,
Who brings out their host by number;
He calls them all by name,
By the greatness of His might
And the strength of His power;
Not one is missing.
God created the stars to mark the times and seasons. This is a time to remember…
He is in charge of the timing.
So you must trust Him with the timing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
And speak, O Israel:
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And my just claim is passed over by my God”?
28 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
This is season to be mindful of what we speak and to make sure that what we’re saying is what God is saying. It’s a time to know that though…
There will be times when you feel unseen and weary, but you are seen by God, and He does not grow weary of His call on your life and His promise to fulfill it.
His timing is perfect.
This is an important season, and there will be moments of weariness. Especially as you push toward a goal by His grace. Even Paul felt weary. And there are times we’ll need to rest, because we’re human. But there are also times when the harvest is ready, and you must work hard and press in. It’s a time to be very aware of the fact that your weariness is not indicative of God’s weariness. Instead, our weariness is an indicator to press in or to trust and rest in.
Sometimes, weariness is an indicator that what we started with God is veering off into just “us”—our wisdom and strength. In those moments, it’s good to stop a second and recenter ourselves in Him. We must be aware that our emotions can deceive us, yet recognize them as indicators to take those situations and circumstances to God and press in for His wisdom about how to respond.
29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on 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.
This is s time and a season…
When we learn to patiently lean into Him, so that He becomes our strength.
As we learn to partner with His grace, we will be able to stand strong amidst life’s swirl as a beacon of His goodness, truth, and glory.
#glory #comfort #focus #trust #EveryWriterWriting
