July 23rd

Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Isaiah 40:1-44:5

There are a lot of sermons by John Piper on today's passage. Here is the list....
Three Meditations on "The Messiah" - Isaiah 40:5
Thanksgiving Toward the Past, Faith Toward the Future - Isaiah 40:8
Fear Not, I Am with You, I Am Your God - Isaiah 41:1-13
Fear Not, You Worm Jacob! - Isaiah 41:14
God Created Us for His Glory - Isaiah 43:1-7
The Joyful Purpose of God - Isaiah 43:1-7
I Am the Lord, and Besides Me There Is No Savior -Isaiah 43:8-13
From Wonder to Witness -Isaiah 43:10-13
A Precious Promise: The Outpouring of God's Spirit - Isaiah 44:1-5

Commentaries on bible.org
Comfort for God’s People (Isaiah 40) - J Hampton Keathley
A Message of Comfort to God’s People Isaiah 40:1-31 - Allen Ross
The LORD is the Gracious Redeemer Isaiah 43:1-13 - Allen Ross

There are so many awesome verses in this passage! (any emphasis is mine)

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8

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. Isaiah 40:30-31

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. Isaiah 42:16

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1b

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:2

I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. Isaiah 43:25

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

I love how John Piper unpacks this verse in his sermon Fear Not, I am your God.

• The God who judges all the earth and calls the coastlands to give account . . . (v1)
  
• The God who rules the rulers of history . . . (v2-3)
  
• The God who calls the nations of earth into being because he is first and last . . . (v4)
  
• The God who calls his own people and makes himself their God freely and graciously . . (v8-9).

That God says to us who believe,

• I am your God.
• I am with you.
• I will strength you.
• I will help you.
• I will uphold you.

.....Therefore, do not fear. (emphasis and verse references mine)

And what strikes me most about all these message of hope, of comfort, of strength, of assurance, of steadfastness, of faithfulness is that these are personal messages to each one of us by the God so great we cannot even begin to imagine his greatness.

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed him as his counselor? Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. Isaiah 40:12, 13, 15

He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. Isaiah 40:22

Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. Isaiah 40:26

How many stars are there?

Taking the Milky Way as an average galaxy, the total number of known stars is thus (100 billion)²=(10¹¹)²=10²². These estimated stars number 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, when we write this number out. This figure would be pronounced as “ten billion trillion” stars.

According to NASA, the stars are countless.

But according to Isaiah 40:26, God can not only count the countless stars, He has given each one a name! It's just mind boggling!

And to top it off - this great God of the universe, the almighty Creator, who can control the wind and the rain and the stars - THIS GOD loves me and you .... individually. He cares about us, about every detail of our lives. He knows the number of hairs on your head. He will help you. He will uphold you. He is with you. He loves you.

This is yet another example of the fear of God being combined with the hope and grace of God.

Tomorrow's passage: Isaiah 44:6-48:11