People need the Lord!!! And oftentimes, they need you and me! All around us there are people with needs. If you have a family, there are days, weeks, months when those in your immediate family and extended family keep you busy praying and trying to help in any way you can. If you are part of a church family, the number of people with health needs, and a variety of other needs is almost endless ... and often many of the needs remain unspoken, so we pray for God's protection and guidance for our brothers and sisters in Christ as they navigate the waters of life. And then there are the countless number of people we know in our communities and in other places around the world whose needs are at times hidden and at other times urgently on display. In a moment when you or I may become overwhelmed by all the needs around us, someone may say, "I don't know how God does it!" Which, of course, is a silly statement. He IS God, after all!!
I have been "thoughtful" over the past week or so ... reflecting on the many people around me and the truth of my/our inability to meet even most, let alone all of those needs. As someone said to me just today, "Men like to 'fix' things." It's true, most of us do; and sometimes we can even make things worse by trying too hard to fix something that is beyond our ability to do. After all, we are NOT God. To be fair, women like to fix things, too. At times we just go about it in different ways. Sometimes people just need a listening ear and the knowledge that someone cares; that they are not alone in their struggle. But even then, what people really need is HOPE! Everybody needs hope. You cannot live long without hope.
Most people, however, live without true hope. Actually, most people fake it. They pretend. People "hope" they will avoid the worst of the many BAD things that can happen in any given moment, and when faced with real trials, sufferings and struggles of various kinds, they "hope" things will get better. Despair sets in when people LOSE hope ... when they think things can't or won't get better. That's where God comes in. That's where faith in God comes in. That's where faith in the one TRUE God comes in.
Sadly, many people (actually, MOST people), do not KNOW the one true God. But for those who do, the words of the prophet Isaiah are exactly what you and I need to hear, and what we need to share, in those moments when life and the needs all around us seem overwhelming. Listen as God speaks to those who needed hope through the words of the prophet Isaiah, in Isaiah 40. Isaiah speaks of comfort for those who are God's people, who believe in Him, who know that He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. He points out the greatness of God that is beyond measure. And then he asks a whole list of questions exalting the wisdom and power of God. Read through Isaiah 40 until you get to verse 25, as God begins His conclusion with the following words:
"To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of His might and because He is strong in power; not one is missing. ...
Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, 'My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God'? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to Him who has no might He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for 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" (Isaiah 40:25-31).
There is the hope every person needs, but most will never find, because they do NOT know the Holy One, the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Creator of the heavens and the earth ... YOUR Creator and mine! As one who by His grace and the work of His Spirit knows this God, my burden for people is lifted by knowing that everyone I talk with needs one thing: Hope in the Lord! And what they NEED to hear, whether they know it or not, is that this almighty God has made a way for sinners like you and me to draw near to Him, to be adopted into His family and to live this life without fear, no matter what the need, the trial, the struggle we or they may be facing. JESUS, the Christ, God's promised Savior and King, is the way to the Father, and when by His mercy He calls you to believe in Him, to confess your sin and your need, and to trust in Jesus for forgiveness and life ... when by grace you are adopted into HIS "forever family," HOPE is born; a hope that stands firm in the midst of every trial, every need.
People need the Lord! And they need you and me to tell them about the God they don't know, or to remind them of the Savior they have received. This is the "fix" they need. It's the hope you and I need ... every moment of every day. And GOD is able. HE can handle what you and I can't. Be an instrument of healing and hope by pointing people to Jesus and through Him to our Father in heaven. Trust His Spirit to do the rest, according to the Father's will. Sleep well ... Jesus is on the throne and the angels are still singing!!
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