“Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel, you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born. 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. With whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?” Isaiah 46:3-5
Here in Isaiah, we see God, the maker and sustainer of the world, give a promise that can comfort us in any stage of life. Life is a journey, and each part of that journey is packed with different challenges. The hardships facing a toddler differ from those of a preteen; young adult challenges are different than the middle adult’s; and still the later adult difficulties differ from the geriatric’s, but the same God sees us through each stage.
God has lovingly designed us. His purpose for us is to know Him, to depend on Him, to trust in Him, to love Him, and to proclaim His faithfulness to a needy world. It’s through this intentional and fostered relationship of genuine fidelity that we learn to trust Him to carry us through the lowest of valleys and the highest of peaks.
King David loved the Lord and trusted in Him. He knew God’s purpose for humanity and lived in it. His vulnerable psalms give us comfort when we face trials today. David once said, my foot is slipping, but God supported me; anxiety was great within me, but God’s consolation brought me joy. Any time David called upon the Lord for deliverance, God was ready and waiting to move.
The same if true for us today. God told us with His very own words, I will sustain you; I will rescue you. Remember all I have done in the past? I am faithful. I am trustworthy. I am love. I am here.
Perhaps today we could all benefit from this loving embrace, the promise of Isaiah 46. No matter the challenge, no matter the prospect, no matter the weight, God will sustain us. To sustain something means “to give support or relief, to nourish, to support the weight of, or to buoy up.”(Merriam Webster)
“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.” Isaiah 46:9
“Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.” Isaiah 49: 13
