“Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.”** Isaiah 46:8-10 (NIV)**
We serve an amazing God. He Who states of Himself in Isaiah 40:25 (NIV): “‘To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?’ says the Holy One.” The answer, of course, is no one or no thing. Indeed, the whole of Isaiah 40 deals with God’s total otherness – His Sovereignty, His Omniscience, His Omnipotence, His Omnipresence. He is unique in all His ways. Indeed, His own words proclaim in our verses for today: “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” Who but Almighty God can rightly proclaim these words?
Our God is not only Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent, He is also loving and tender and does not treat us as our sins deserve – He is compassionate and longsuffering with us not wanting any to perish but for all to come to repentance. Indeed, 2 Chronicles 30:9B (NIV) tells us: “If you return to the LORD, then your brothers and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will come back to this land, for the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.”
Jesus continues to beckon us to “Come” to Him in Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) with His generous offer of rest and a lightened burden: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Tired from toil and loaded down, His offer of “Come” sounds refreshingly delightful.
Jesus woos us to come and further, He rejoices over us with singing, bestowing upon us sweet peace and rest. There is no God like the God of Jeshurun as Moses writes in Deuteronomy 33:26-27 (NIV): “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, ‘Destroy him!’”
God is a Refuge for His people. No matter what adversity the Lord is there instantly – at the call of His great Name – with all power to deliver and refresh the saint. All you have to do is call.
“Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.” Deuteronomy 33:12 (NIV)