My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to Isaiah 40-49 in a lesson titled “Comfort Ye My People.” The following information introduced the lesson.
“Comfort”
is the first word of Isaiah chapter 40. It marks the beginning of a different
tone, a different emphasis in the prophet’s message. Isaiah’s earlier writings
warned Israel and Judah about destruction and captivity that would come because
of their sins. But these later prophecies were meant to comfort the Jewish
people over 150 years in the future – after Jerusalem and the temple were
destroyed and the people were taken captive by Babylon. These prophecies,
however, reach even further into the future than to the defeated, disheartened
Israelites. They speak to us, who also sometimes feel defeated, disheartened,
and even lost.
Isaiah’s
message to his people and to us is simple: “Fear not” (Isaiah 43:1). All is not
lost. The Lord has not forgotten you, and He has power over situations that
seem out of your control. Isn’t the Lord, who “created the heavens” (Isaiah
42:5), more powerful than Babylon, than sin, than whatever is holding you
captive? “Return unto me,” He pleads, “for I have redeemed thee” (Isaiah
44:22). He can heal, restore, strengthen, forgive, and comfort – whatever is
needed for you, in your case, to be redeemed.
This week’s reading teaches numerous principles. There are four considered in the lesson: (1) Jesus Christ can comfort me and give me hope (Isaiah 40-49). (2) “Thou art my servant” (Isaiah 40-49). (3) God’s power is greater than worldly power (Isaiah 40:3-8, 15-23; 42:15-16; 47:7-11). (4) The Lord can refine me through my afflictions (Isaiah 48:10; 49:13-16). This essay will discuss principle #3 about God’s power being greater than worldly power.
Our
world has witnessed worldly power over the last eight months during the bombing
of Iran by American forces. The world of Isaiah was less explosive, but it too
had political intrigue and power.
3 The
voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every
valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the
crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.
5 And
the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together:
for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
6 The
voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the
goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
7 The
grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon
it: surely the people is grass.
8 The
grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for
ever.
15 Behold,
the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the
balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.
16 And
Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a
burnt offering.
17 All
nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than
nothing, and vanity….
21 Have
ye not known? Have ye not heard? Hath it not been told you from the beginning? Have
ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It
is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof
are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and
spreadeth them out as a tend to dwell in:
23 That
bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.
In the
above verses, Isaiah describes God’s power and worldly power. He repeatedly
reminded his people of God’s matchless power, even compared to the oppressive
worldly power that surround them. God’s power is always stronger than worldly
power.
In his article, Anthony Sweat describes how the power of Jesus Christ can strengthen us every single day. The article begins, “While our daily challenges may vary in type, intensity, and frequency, there seem to be three general areas in which we can seek and receive divine help in our lives. The strengthening power of Christ is designed and available for all three of these types of daily tests.”
1. Strength to Meet Trials and Challenges
Although
often unspoken or unknown to others, daily burdens are borne by all people. “In
the quiet heart is hidden / Sorrow that the eye can’t see” isn’t just beautiful
poetry, it’s painfully accurate too. Some face daily challenges related to work
and finances, while others need help in their marriages and families. Some are
tested daily through a physical disability or persistent pain. While we are
sure to experience difficulty in life, one of the promises in scripture is
that, regardless of the source of our trial, Christ can give us strength to
meet and successfully bear our burdens….
Because
of mortality and human agency, sometimes God won’t change circumstances to
relieve a burden. When God can’t or won’t change an external circumstance,
however, he can and will change our internal workings to successfully meet the
challenge, if we let him. He often does this by making our burdens feel
lighter through divine spiritual gifts that expand our perspective, empower our
understanding, alter our attitude, and provide patience, comfort, and peace.
2. Strength to Resist Temptation and Overcome Sin
A
second aspect of divine strength we can receive is power to resist temptations
and overcome sin. This is different than cleansing and healing from sin and
transgression; this is a protective power to “suffer us not to be led into
temptation” (JST, Matthew 6:13).
Masterful
paintings that have been damaged often go through a careful process of
cleansing years of dirt and dust buildup, healing rips in the canvas and breaks
in the frame, and restoring lost pigment. That is not all, however. There is
also an extensive conservation aspect of the cleansed, healed, and restored
art: The curators add layers of protective varnish, control temperature and
natural light exposure, install security warning systems, and go to great
lengths to shield the artwork from future damage. Similarly, Jesus not only
cleanses, heals, and restores us from the damaging effects of sin, but his
grace also grants daily power to guard and protect us against future damaging
disobedience. This strengthening power enables us to resist partaking of “the
sin which doth so easily beset us” (Hebrews 12:1) as Paul said….
3. Strength to Do Good Works
A
third aspect of the strengthening power of Christ is a power that is given to
us to do good works beyond our natural capacities. It is a power granted to do
miracles, in every sense of the word (see Alma 26:12). The Bible Dictionary
teaches: “It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals,
through faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ .. receive strength and
assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain
if left to their own means.”
This
gift to do and be good beyond our natural capacity is perhaps most evident in
church callings and assignments. Ironically, or perhaps purposefully, most of
us are called to serve in church positions for which we are utterly unqualified….
With
regard to our church callings, however, the ever-quotable Elder Neal A. Maxwell
taught: “God does not begin by asking us about our ability, but only about our
availability, and if we then prove our dependability, he will increase our
capability.” …
Each week in wards across the earth, the strengthening
power of Christ is manifest in millions of persons performing and doing good
works beyond their natural capacity as the Lord qualifies them through
endowment of his enabling grace.
Beyond callings, the strengthening power of Christ is available for any worthy work we might undertake: whether doctor or dentist, scientist or researcher, teacher or student, artist or entertainer, businessperson or construction worker, athlete or mathlete. Above all, divine strength to do good works is given for the daily, eternally important work of families: to spouses, parents, and children, each of whom is striving to perform a work beyond their natural capacities….
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