7 December 2022
To whom then will you compare me,
or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high and see:
Who created these?
He who brings out their host and numbers them,
calling them all by name;
because he is great in strength,
mighty in power,
not one is missing.
From Isaiah 40:25-31, NRSV
Isaiah’s words in today’s reading come towards the end of a great poem in which he praises the majesty of the Lord. Isaiah was writing for a tired and weary people who were uncertain of their future after their time in exile. Isaiah wanted to reassure them of God’s ability to re-establish Israel in their own homeland. He invited them to look up to the skies and consider who made the stars. Isaiah was sure that those who could see the glory of God’s creation could have no doubt in the greatness of God. But these were a people bowed down by oppression and disillusioned by the religion of their oppressors. And so Isaiah reminded them of the greatness of their own God – a God who not only named and claimed each individual star but who also named and claimed each of his people and who would give them a strength that they would find nowhere else.
- How do you suppose Isaiah’s message was received?
- When have you been aware of God’s greatness – and of God’s care for you?
If possible – take time to look at the stars in the night sky and to reflect on Isaiah’s promise.
