Behold, by my rebuke I dry up the sea,
I make the rivers a desert; (Isaiah 50:2)
A recurring theme throughout Isaiah is the power and authority of God. He keeps reminding his people that he is Almighty. There is no one like Yahweh. He alone is God.
In times of distress, we often think to ourselves, “Where is God in all this? Why doesn’t he do something to rescue me from this circumstance?”
God’s answer here in Isaiah 50 is to ask if his people believe he has the power to redeem them. Then he says that he has the power to dry up the sea, and make rivers a desert.
Creation displays God’s power and might all around us each day. I, for one, don’t pause often enough to reflect on the beauty, majesty, and incomprehensibly awesome power of something like the sea. It’s right outside my door. We live two blocks from the ocean. If I stand and watch the waves and the tide, I’m amazed at the expanse and power.
As awesome as the sea is, it is subject to the will and word of the Creator. With a simple word of rebuke, God could dry it up like a desert. His power is beyond measure! By comparison to the ocean, my troubles and distresses are mere drops of gentle rain. If God has such authority and power over something as vast, and itself powerful, as the ocean, how much more does he stand in authority over the circumstances of my life?
Perhaps if we slowed down enough to appreciate God’s creation, we just might find our faith and trust in his sovereignty and control would increase.
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