The things we live for
They hardly get started, barely taking root, when he blows on them and they wither. The wind carries them off like chaff. “To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One. Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing. Isaiah 40:24-27 NLT
What made the difference between the living and the dead was hope. Ecclesiastes 9:4, “There is hope only for the living. As they say, ‘It’s better to be a live dog than a dead lion!’” Hope is what gives motivation; something to live for, something to look forward to, and something to return to. We will not be able to survive without something to live for beyond the difficulties of this life. We will give up and just live in despair. If we are settled only for the things of this world and the pleasures it could give, we will just end up devastated when all the things of this world are taken from us. If we are just settled for shopping malls, restaurants or fast-food joints, next vacation and freeways, then we will certainly fall into carnality and materialism. But if our minds are focused beyond the things of this world, something beautiful that is ours, something that can never be taken away from us, we can face anything. If we believe in God, we live our lives right now out of a vital connection with what He has in store for the future. That’s why hope makes us unshakable in the face of trials. From the text, Isaiah is encouraging the Israelites not to lose hope while they were taken captives by the Babylonians. He speaks of God watching over them. In the midst of despair, God comes with an infusion of hope. He has not abandoned us. This world is more than this prison camp as some refers to because of the troubles they are dealing with. Yet God is admonishing us to look pass the despair and see that He is with us and that He is coming. The way out of our despair is renewal in hope. “And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world” (1 Corinthians 15:19).
Blessings,
