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Word from Scotland

    by Sandy Shaw

Do You Want To Know How Big Our Gracious God Is?
Date Posted: February 17, 2020

As the people of Israel return from exile and imprisonment in Babylon, God sees a little lamb who cannot walk - and who needs to be carried. It is all there in Isaiah Chapter 40.

God lifts those who are weak, but wanting to go back to Jerusalem - and He carries them close to His heart. He sees those who are with young - ewes with lambs - and leads them gently.

Such tender personal intervention – out of where you are, to where Almighty God wants you to be.

When Jesus Christ performed these miracles, he was not seeking to impress the onlookers, or to prove his claims.

Jesus Christ performed miracles because he could not bear to see the suffering of those around him! That poor widow of Nain – the leper struck down by disease – “I will – be thou clean!” The hungry crowds – blind Bartimaeus begging in Jericho - and that sick woman who had spent all her money seeking a cure – the scars and pains and marks of sin – the heart of God was more than touched – such was Christ’s compassion and concern.

“Jesus Thou art all compassion – pure unbounded love Thou art” – we must never sing these words unthinkingly!

Jesus keeps coming to men and women – “My friend you cannot carry that load yourself”. He sees the weight and heaviness of the burden – let me carry it for you – that is the Gospel!

And, when nobody wants you – GOD wants you.

God wanted His people back in Jerusalem – He wants you and me in the centre of His Will. .

That is the God we come to. Let this Word comfort you - let these truths put strength in your heart and mind and body, for what lies ahead.

Verse 12. Isaiah sees a big God - and this big God is able to deal with the troubles of His people. God has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand.

Do you want to know how big God is?

I will tell you, Isaiah says - consider the width of space - the millions and millions of miles - but that is the distance between His thumb and little finger.

Is this just poetry - picture language?

Well it is said in the same breath as Zion and Judah and Jerusalem - and some of us have walked in these real places. These are NOT pictures.

This Saviour Shepherd is the Creator GODCreator and Redeemer.

He weighed out the mountains in a little pair of hand scales.

Or think of His Mind - we cannot understand the Spirit of the Lord - we are NOT His teacher - we cannot counsel Him as to how to do things.

Verse 15. The nations are like a drop in a bucket - the nations are regarded as dust on the scales – China – America – United Kingdom – Scotland.

Now - note - not his precious people, ISRAEL - nor those who have been bought with the blood of Jesus Christ.

Those who belong to God through Jesus Christ are precious - and our strong tender God cares and shepherds and leads and guides us - as if He had nothing else to do in the whole universe.

The early part of this passage is fulfilled during the ministry of John the baptiser, and Jesus held John in high regard.

John’s ministry was a vital ministry – there is another vital lesson here – Herod refused to pay attention to John, and had John beheaded. The lesson is – if you will not listen to John, it is hard to hear Jesus!

We must never compromise the preaching of the Word of God. When the message is diluted, people then preach – Faith without Repentance – and Discipleship without Cost.

This passage shows us how much we mean to God. Know how much you mean to God.

These verses require to be read more often than during the ‘season of Advent’ – One year it will be the final Advent!

“Almighty God – we worship our great and gracious and merciful God. We give thanks for the times and occasions when You have drawn so close and so near. Speak to us from Your holy Word – and through the risen and living and compassionate Christ. Amen”

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Biography Information:

Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!

Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.

Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.

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