Isaiah 40: God tends his flock like a shepherd

Who is God and what is he like? In v.10, God is a god of power. In v.11 He is personal, he is tender and he is compassionate. It struck me in v.11 that these descriptions of God are in the present tense: he tends his flock like a shepherd, gathers the lambs in his arms, carries them close to his heart, and gently leads those that have young.   I don’t know what the Israelites impression of God was at that time. Perhaps they didn’t think much of him, or they thought he was too distant to care. However, Isaiah shows that God is very personal and very involved.  And so, though we might not see God’s involvement in our daily daily lives, these words show that God is personally involved.   Sometimes I feel that I can go for an entire day or even an entire week without thinking about God’s personal involvement in my life. For me to say that God had nothing to do with my daily life would be a mistake, especially in light of what Isaiah reveals about God. It’s comforting to know that, though I don’t see God’s direct involvement, He is with me, tending my like a sheep in his flock and that he carries me close to his heart. It would do me well to be more grateful to him, to express it and to show it by being humble before him and by loving others.

~ by williamkang on July 16, 2008.