The everlasting God Neither faints nor is weary.

Isaiah 40:28
The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary.

The context of this quote is in the chapter of Isaiah which is delivered to comfort the children Israel and God's people throughout the generations. Have we ever thought that God did not hear us when are petitions and prayers are not answered? This may lead to the reasoning that God is too busy with too many other people (wrongly thinking God is limited) or that our matters are not important enough (wrongly putting down our own worth with respect to God).

The Scripture assures us God does not get tired. He has the infinite power to sustain us, gives strength and power to the weak. Our part is that we must wait on God and believing on God's promises is faith, rather than just believing on His existence like heathens do. To those who believe and wait, He promises:
"They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint."

Note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them

A certain believer called Phoebe was highly commended by Paul in his letter and he asked people to support her. Priscilla and Aquila were mentioned and they took risks to save Paul. Many other men and women believers were mentioned by Paul as he remembered them for their hard work in establishing the new church.

After that Paul warns against people who causes division and offences in church. Clearly these conflicts already existed since the first churches gathered together. Finally Paul gave the benediction and note that the things which were cryptic and secret in the Scriptures have know been revealed by the gospel through our Lord Jesus Christ. Hence the common phrase "God works in mysterious ways" has no credence anymore.



Romans 16
Sister Phoebe Commended

1 I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea, 2 that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also.

Greeting Roman Saints

3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. 5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house.

Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia[a] to Christ. 6 Greet Mary, who labored much for us. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.

8 Greet Amplias, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved. 10 Greet Apelles, approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus. 11 Greet Herodion, my countryman.[b] Greet those who are of the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.

12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, who have labored in the Lord. Greet the beloved Persis, who labored much in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.

16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. The[c] churches of Christ greet you.

Avoid Divisive Persons

17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus[d] Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. 19 For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. 20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Greetings from Paul’s Friends

21 Timothy, my fellow worker, and Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my countrymen, greet you.

22 I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, greet you in the Lord.

23 Gaius, my host and the host of the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, and Quartus, a brother. 24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.[e]

Benediction

25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began 26 but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith— 27 to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.[f]

To whom then will you liken Me

This chapter marks a turning point in the message of the Book of Isaiah. Up until now, there was much proclamation about judgment and disasters both to Israel and her neighbours. Then there was a brief description of the contemporary events with Hezekiah, Isaiah and Assyria. Starting from this chapter, God's positive promises are revealed. This chapter starts with the declaration that God has thoroughly forgiven Israel and Israel is to be comforted. Furthermore, God revealed His plan of salvation through the coming of Messiah.

The description of the saviour here is that He is clearly the Lord God. His majesty is described in context of His creation and nature. He measures the heavens with His hand. He was not taught knowledge, He has always been all-knowing. "All nations before Him are as nothing". He cannot be compared to anyone. No idol or image can be made that can represent him. He is all powerful, no power or authority on Earth can match Him.



Isaiah 40
God’s People Are Comforted

1 “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!”
Says your God.
2 “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,
That her warfare is ended,
That her iniquity is pardoned;
For she has received from the Lord’s hand
Double for all her sins.”
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make straight in the desert[a]
A highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough places smooth;
5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
And all flesh shall see it together;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 The voice said, “Cry out!”
And he[b] said, “What shall I cry?”
“All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.”
9 O Zion,
You who bring good tidings,
Get up into the high mountain;
O Jerusalem,
You who bring good tidings,
Lift up your voice with strength,
Lift it up, be not afraid;
Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand,
And His arm shall rule for Him;
Behold, His reward is with Him,
And His work before Him.
11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.
12 Who has measured the waters[c] in the hollow of His hand,
Measured heaven with a span
And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure?
Weighed the mountains in scales
And the hills in a balance?
13 Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,
Or as His counselor has taught Him?
14 With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him,
And taught Him in the path of justice?
Who taught Him knowledge,
And showed Him the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket,
And are counted as the small dust on the scales;
Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.
16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn,
Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering.
17 All nations before Him are as nothing,
And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.
18 To whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare to Him?
19 The workman molds an image,
The goldsmith overspreads it with gold,
And the silversmith casts silver chains.
20 Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution
Chooses a tree that will not rot;
He seeks for himself a skillful workman
To prepare a carved image that will not totter.
21 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
23 He brings the princes to nothing;
He makes the judges of the earth useless.
24 Scarcely shall they be planted,
Scarcely shall they be sown,
Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth,
When He will also blow on them,
And they will wither,
And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.
25 “To whom then will you liken Me,
Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high,
And see who has created these things,
Who brings out their host by number;
He calls them all by name,
By the greatness of His might
And the strength of His power;
Not one is missing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
And speak, O Israel:
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And my just claim is passed over by my God”?
28 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

So Teach Us To Number Our Days

This psalm looks at Israel or perhaps humankind in general, examining who we are in relation to the Everlasting and Almighty God. There is a sense of finiteness of man compared with God's infiniteness. Man has angered God in many ways and subjected to God's wrath.

The writer acknowledges our sins and God's anger but asks God to teach us to "number our days" so we can live wisely. Finally the writer calls for the mercy and compassion of God so that His people can rejoice and be glad in life. In addition he asks for God to reveal His work and glory to His people.



Psalm 90
A Prayer of Moses the man of God.

 1 Lord, You have been our dwelling place[a] in all generations.
 2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
         Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
         Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
       
 3 You turn man to destruction,
         And say, “Return, O children of men.”
 4 For a thousand years in Your sight
         Are like yesterday when it is past,
         And like a watch in the night.
 5 You carry them away like a flood;
         They are like a sleep.
         In the morning they are like grass which grows up:
 6 In the morning it flourishes and grows up;
         In the evening it is cut down and withers.
       
 7 For we have been consumed by Your anger,
         And by Your wrath we are terrified.
 8 You have set our iniquities before You,
         Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.
 9 For all our days have passed away in Your wrath;
         We finish our years like a sigh.
 10 The days of our lives are seventy years;
         And if by reason of strength they are eighty years,
         Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow;
         For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
 11 Who knows the power of Your anger?
         For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.
 12 So teach us to number our days,
         That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
       
 13 Return, O LORD!
         How long?
         And have compassion on Your servants.
 14 Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy,
         That we may rejoice and be glad all our days!
 15 Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us,
         The years in which we have seen evil.
 16 Let Your work appear to Your servants,
         And Your glory to their children.
 17 And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,
         And establish the work of our hands for us;
         Yes, establish the work of our hands.