Recent content by RiverOL

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 40:31; Psalm 103:1-5 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 40:31 The strength of human power and will is not enough to keep us on our...

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 40:29-30; Psalm 18:1-3 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. — Isaiah 40:29-30 The sovereign Lord of the universe, who does not grow tired or weary, gives strength when we...

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 40:28; Acts 17:24-26 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. — Isaiah 40:28 People get exhausted, but the Lord never grows...

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 40:27; Psalm 13:1-6 Why do you complain . . . ? Why do you say . . . “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”? — Isaiah 40:27 God’s people were discouraged and feeling helpless. Despite the majesty God had shown for them in the uniqueness...

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 40:26; Nehemiah 9:6 Lift up your eyes . . . to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. . . . — Isaiah 40:26 Life’s problems can weigh us down so much that we may feel as if we can’t look...

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 40:25, 45:18-24 “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. — Isaiah 40:25 The Lord God is unique. There is no one like him. He is the Lord, “and there is no other.” God is incomparably great. He is above and beyond all creation. He did not...

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 40:24; Luke 1:46-55 No sooner are [rulers] planted . . . no sooner do they take root . . . than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. — Isaiah 40:24 The powerful people of this world tend to think they are strong and mighty...

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 40:23; 1 Samuel 2:6-10 He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. — Isaiah 40:23 Isaiah points out the Lord’s supremacy over the government leaders of this world. They rise to power and seem unshakable, but they are eventually...

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 40:22; Psalm 8:1-9 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 Isaiah reminds us that God's reign is not only in heaven...

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 40:21; Genesis 1:1-31 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? — Isaiah 40:21 Isaiah asks some more rhetorical questions here, and these emphasize that our knowledge of God...

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 40:20; 44:9-20 A person too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot; they look for a skilled worker to set up an idol that will not topple. — Isaiah 40:20 As we noted yesterday, idolatry is an offense to God. Today’s text describes how a...

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 40:19; Romans 1:20-26 As for an idol, a metalworker casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. — Isaiah 40:19 God's people have always been surrounded by worshipers of idols that represent other gods—and all other gods besides...

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 40:18; Psalm 115:1-8 With whom, then, will you compare God? To what image will you liken him? — Isaiah 40:18 Here again Isaiah uses a rhetorical question to highlight the greatness and uniqueness of God. The Lord is incomparable in his greatness. He rules over all...

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 40:17; Psalm 2:1-12 Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing. — Isaiah 40:17 As he continues describing God in his majesty and superiority, Isaiah says that all the nations, in comparison, are “as...

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 40:16; Micah 6:6-8 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. — Isaiah 40:16 After discussing God’s incomparable supremacy, Isaiah emphasizes our human insufficiency to please the Lord. Lebanon is known in the Old Testament...