See, the Lord God comes with power, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep (Isaiah 40:10-11).
Whenever I was home sick from school, I would spend my days lying on the couch watching daytime talk shows. My favorite ones were those of the more sensationalist style. Not infrequently, the episodes were centered around troubled or delinquent youths.
These kids, sometimes as young as 10 years old, were angry and defiant. They sat on the stage and declared that they did what they wanted when they wanted, and no one could tell them otherwise.
But then, a big, burly military sergeant would burst onto the stage. This was the event everyone was waiting for.
The sergeant would march toward the youths, towering over them, and begin shouting orders. The idea was that this towering figure would break their disobedience and force the youths into gentle compliance.
For many people, this is their depiction of God. Many people view God as nothing more than an angry force, one waiting to erupt in a fit of divine anger.
The day upon which God steps into the world will be a day of divine judgment, a day of fear. God is all-powerful, and this power is understood to be the power to punish and condemn.
But this is not what the Bible declares. God’s power is a power of tenderness and compassion. God comes to us not in anger or wrath but in steadfast love. The heart of God is the heart of forgiveness and grace.
1. God’s Power in Love
We often think of power in terms of the wielding of strength or dominion. Power is about control over our enemies and imposing our will upon others. The more powerful we are, the more we can make others do what we want when we want.
Thus, when Isaiah declares, “The Sovereign Lord comes to power, and his arm rules for him” (Isaiah 40:10), we mistakenly believe that God’s power is one of dominance. God steps into the world to break our will and force us into submission.
But notice that God’s power is not expressed in the power of military kings or mighty warriors. God’s power is expressed in tenderness. The strength of God is expressed in the gathering of his lambs; like a shepherd, God carries his people close to his heart.
Have you ever seen a picture of a newborn cuddling up to a parent or grandparent? The tiny child is wrapped in the safe and powerful arms of someone much bigger than them. Massive arms enfold them.
The child buries their head into the parent’s chest and falls asleep, soothed by intimacy and care. And while the chaos of the world may swirl around them, in that place, there is safety and comfort.
This is the picture of God and the full expression of God’s strength for us. God’s love is not a softening of God’s mighty power but the full expression of it.
The greatest expression of God’s power is also the greatest expression of God’s love. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that all who believe in him may not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). With love at the center of God’s power, there is no need to fear.
2. God’s Power in Forgiveness
Even though we hear the message of God’s powerful love, it can be hard to accept that, particularly when we feel besieged by our sin.
When we feel spiritually distant or discouraged, we may feel that God has abandoned us or rejected us. God’s powerful love, it is assumed, is reserved for the perfect and the spiritually pristine.
Paul felt this way when he lamented, “O wretched man that I am, who can save me from this body of death!” (Romans 7:24).
Similarly, the Israelites continually felt like this as they navigated the complexities of the exile. Removed from their land and temple, Israel felt a deep sense of enduring punishment for their waywardness.
Yet, in the face of this fear, God comes to Israel to speak a word of comfort. Isaiah declares, “Comfort, comfort my people says your God, and speak tenderly to Jerusalem” (Isaiah 40:1).
Even amid the exile, God’s word is one of compassion and forgiveness. God announces that Israel “has served her term, that her sin is paid for” (Isaiah 40:2).
The implication is not that Israel earned its way out of exile or that they are released for years of “good behavior.” Israel did not pay for their sin.
The implication is that God has removed their sin from them in an act of compassionate grace. God's power is not wielded to punish but to forgive.
If you fear that God is angry at you and will harshly judge you for the sins in your past, take heart. God is rich in compassion and abounding in tender love. Like Israel, there is nothing that deems us unforgivable.
3. God’s Power in Jesus
God’s declaration to Israel wasn’t just that they were forgiven. Through the prophet Isaiah, God proclaims the divine coming. The day of the Lord is nigh.
The image employed is that of a renewed exodus. God would again lead Israel out of bondage, through the desert, to the land of promise. The ultimate declaration is “Here is your God!” (Isaiah 40:9). God comes to us, not to destroy, but to save.
What Isaiah only looked ahead towards, we have the benefit of looking back upon. The power of God, expressed in love and forgiveness, is incarnated uniquely in the person of Jesus Christ.
What is more, Jesus turns all worldly notions of power on its head. Just look at how Isaiah’s words apply to Jesus:
See, the Sovereign Lord comes in power; God’s power is seen through the embracing of weakness. God comes as a child, wrapped in cloths, and placed in an animal’s feeding trough.
Jesus was born in the backwater hovel in the shadow of the great Jerusalem. The sovereign Lord comes to us just as tender and as frail as we often are.
His arm rules for him; Jesus rules by embracing those who are far off and cast away. He rules by touching the ones the spiritual elite called untouchable and by embracing those the world said were unlovable and unclean.
The arm of strength is the arm that gathers lost lambs, holding them to his heart. Ultimately, his arms do not strike blows against his enemies but are stretched out upon the cross as an expression of sacrificial love.
As you journey closer to Christmas, what might it look like to embrace God’s compassion by embracing the presence of Jesus?
What might it look like for you to dare to believe that Isaiah’s words are true and that Jesus is the full incarnation of God’s tenderness and love towards you?
If you do so, you may just find that the work he brings into your life is not wrath or condemnation but grace, forgiveness, and abundant life.
For further reading:
What Is the Power of God’s Light Over Darkness?
Is There Power in the Name of Jesus?
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/felipe-bastias
