Isaiah 40:28-29 “Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might, He increaseth strength.”
“Hast thou not known?”
I was somewhat taken aback at these four words. What a question! I thought I knew, but then I wondered, did I really know? As I thought about these two verses, I kept coming back to those first four words. I definitely believed God was all those things, but this was a moment when the enormity of those particular characteristics made me wonder if I really could say “yes” to that question. I understood that God was the Creator who never got tired; I understood that I could never grasp the extent of His knowledge, but this was the first time I really gave these attributes a “deep think.” Truly, God NEVER is faint; His understanding can NEVER be realized, and He ALWAYS provides strength for His children. Wow!
These verses are part of a chapter that Isaiah wrote as a source of comfort to the Jews in captivity. Although the Jews may have felt abandoned by God, Isaiah told them that the Lord had not given up on them nor forsaken them. No matter what hardships they were facing, they were reminded that God had not grown weary of their cries for help. He had promised to strengthen them, and Isaiah knew that He would… in His time.
The promises in Scripture are as valid today as they were then. God promises to empower His children with what is needed to face any struggle… in His time. Isaiah stressed the importance of waiting on the Lord and trusting Him. David wrote in Psalm 27, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” When I am troubled or discouraged, the Holy Spirit brings to mind verses that remind me of the very truths in today’s devotional verses.
Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Micah 7:7 – Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
Psalm 31:24 – Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.
Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Have I not known?