Read: Isaiah 40:1-5; 21-31
Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? (v. 26)
Have you ever struggled to believe that God sees you, loves you, and has goodness in store for you? There was a season in my life when I experienced deep depression. It felt as if all the lights had gone out and God was on sabbatical. In the darkness of depression, my vision was limited to the pain of my immediate situation. Yet the invitation we find in Isaiah 40 to “lift up your eyes on high and see” the handiwork of our Creator (v. 26) was always there, for God never leaves his children alone in the dark.
Our passage today contains God’s message of comfort to the Israelites in Babylonian captivity. Understandably, the discouraged Israelites found it hard to believe that God’s covenant of faithful love and a homeland persisted in exile—all they could see was their pain. So God invited his people to consider the stars and remember who they were: his chosen people, dearly loved. God said to them, in essence, “If I know the name and number of every star I created and am faithful to bring them out one by one each night, how could you say I do not see and know you?”
Isaiah’s message of God’s attentive love is just as true for us as it was for the Israelites: God sees us, loves us, and has goodness in store for us. There is hope for all who trust and wait upon God.
As you pray, ask God to lift your gaze above your circumstances and show you the wonders of his covenant love.
About the Author
Katelyn J. Dixon is a writer and photographer from Auburn, Washington. When she’s not creating, she enjoys exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband Drew and partnering with him in life and ministry.
