After all the words of judgment we’ve seen throughout the prophets, I must say that it’s refreshing…and encouraging to see the words of Isaiah in the past few chapters.
Here Isaiah addresses the people who would be exiled to Babylon (remember, this hadn’t happened yet).
And after passing judgment on the gods of Babylon, God then tells the exiles,
Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all you who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth.
Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. (Isaiah 46:3-4)
Sometimes, like the exiles, we feel down and depressed. We feel like God has abandoned us. That he doesn’t really care.
But here God says, “I have upheld you since the day you were conceived.”
From the time you were in your mother’s womb, I was there with you, putting you together, forming you into the person you would become.
Not only that, “I have carried you since your birth.”
From the day your eyes first saw the light, the faces of the doctors, and the eyes of your mother and father, I was there, watching over you.
“Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am he.”
Even though you pass from your youth to your middle years to your senior years, even as you go through all the changes that come from time, I never change. I am. And I will ever be.
“I will sustain you, I will carry you, and I will rescue you.”
In short, God never leaves us lonely. He never abandons us. And when we need him, he will be there. That’s the kind of love that he has for us.
Are you feeling lonely? Abandoned by God and everyone else?
Don’t believe the lie. The God who created you and knows your name has never abandoned you. And he will be there to help you through whatever you are going through.
At times, we look upon the sands of lives, and as the old poem goes, we see only one set of footprints. So we question God, “Where were you when I needed you.”
But God turns to us and says, “Do you think you were alone? You were never alone. For during those times when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”
Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. (Isaiah 46:4)
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 