Dear Christian friends:

When we have good times and good health we trust God and praise Him and feel happy in Him. But when we have bad times and poor health we doubt God and complain. But we Christians should learn to praise God in bad times the same as we praise Him in good times. In trouble we should rejoice in God - not only in peace.

Our text teaches us to do this:

We should rejoice in troubles because God is able to help in all troubles. That is shown in our text. Israel was in much trouble. They were slaves in Babylon: They say God has forgotten us, "our way is hid from the Lord." So God tells Isaiah to admonish them. First, they should look up at the sky at night and count the many stars and planets in space (verse 26). So many, many they can't count all. Yet, God knows exactly how many. And He gives each one its name.

He knows if one falls or is gone. By His might He rules and keeps all in their exact orbit. So Isaiah scolds Israel: "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of all the earth, fainteth not neither is weary."

Such a mighty God we have He can easily help us and save us in every trouble. But some will say, "God will use His power to destroy me because I have sinned. No God used and still uses His power to save you in Jesus. Now it is the third Sunday after Easter and we remember His wonderful power in making Jesus rise from death that first Easter morning.

This same all mighty power He uses to create and keep faith in us. Paul says: "God who commanded the light shine out of darkness hath also shined in our hearts to give light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ"

So we should not doubt God's power and love in troubles. He is very able to help us. We should stay happy in Him. But remember further: He helps in His own way and in His own time: "there is no searching of His understanding" Isaiah says. "My ways are not your ways" etc. Isaiah again, God's purpose for us is that we glorify Him and be saved by faith in His promises in Jesus.

To teach us to trust Him more and more He may take away some things that he first gave to us just to see if we will get mad or not. God gives us many blessings to teach us to trust Him, the He later takes them away to test our trust. So He gives us our body and life and feeds us, that we may learn to trust Him, then in death He takes all away to test our trust.

So all these troubles God sends to test and strengthen our faith, so that we can finally say with Job, "Though He slay Me, yet will I trust Him."

Our faith and salvation depends on His Word of Jesus - not on how we feel whether we are sick or well, rich or poor. God doesn't want us to trust in our blessings or good things health or money, but only in His Word of Jesus crucified and risen again.

Thus we see that: His help is for the helpless - not for the self helpers and self righteous. (verses 29,30 read them) Self-helpers and self-righteous shall fall. Isaiah says, "utterly" fall. Those who despise God's Word of Jesus and His blood shall fall and there will be none to help.

But those that confess their sins, their weakness and helplessness before God who have no righteousness to show or argue before God, who have no excuses, they shall receive mercy, forgiveness, peace and everlasting salvation. You may have troubles, pain and death. Yet in that trouble they look to God. Isaiah says, they "wait upon the Lord"

And the Lord does wonderful things for them. Of these wonderful things Isaiah writes in verse 31: "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint." This does not mean their body health. Their health and life fails like all men, yea they may be more sickly and more poor. But even in sickness and death they rejoice in God and do great things for God. For them life and death are the same, riches and poverty the same, glory and shame. Like Paul they say, "Wether we live or die we are the Lord's."

Again, "For me to live is Christ; to die is gain." And then listen to his wonderful paradoxes: "weeping, yet always rejoicing, poor, yet making many rich, dying, and behold we live."

So we need not cry and complain, doubt or fear in troubles or death. Our God is a mighty God who loves us as a kind Father and knows how to help us and keep us through all troubles and temptations.

But we often forget this and cry and complain and doubt His power and love. And we do this because we fail to hear His promises in the Bible and fail to pray. May He forgive in mercy our wicked doubts and fears and teach us to trust as dear children trust their dear father.

Amen.