God's Geritol for the New Year

by Dennis Michelson
(Painesville, Ohio)

Isaiah 40

Introduction: I have noticed lately just how tired and worn out God's people seem to be. I confess some of that fatigue has fallen on me. Isaiah 40:12-31 gives the Divine tonic to rejuvenate the believer and put a spring back in his spiritual step.

But first a word about the title. Geritol was introduced as an iron and B vitamin tonic in 1950. The product was promoted as a cure for "iron-poor tired blood". The early Geritol liquid was advertised as "twice the iron in a pound of calf's liver." Ted Mack would say each week "feel better in seven days or your money back." One wonders if the 12% alcohol content may have contributed to some of the miracle testimonies concerning the supplement.

At any rate, here we are in the year 2010 and God's people need to be more focused and active than ever. First of all let's look at -

1. GOD'S RESUME (40:12-26)

Where does God stand on the issues so many are concerned about today? What qualifications does He have to offer solutions as we face the new year?

1. On the Environment (40:12)



2. On Psychology and Counseling (40:13-14)



3. On Politics(40:15-17)



4. On Celebrities (40:18-24)

God is unmatched in all of these areas (40:25-26). He has no rival and has no peer.

2. MAN'S RESPONSE (40:27)

The people of God say "God doesn't know" or "He does not understand." How ironic - we think we need to be working furiously because God seems to be waiting but the fact is we need to be waiting because God is already working!

3. GOD'S REMEDY (40:28-31)

Read the text carefully and prayerfully. If you are worn out and distraught then you need to learn what it means to wait upon the Lord. This type of waiting will involve three elements:

• Patience - calm endurance under trials and tests.



• Purity - trust and obey for there is no other way.



• Productivity - compare the Old Testament concept of waiting with the New Testament concept of abiding and you will see the difference between results and fruit. God doesn't want us to do more but He wants us to be more and as a result we will get more done.

Conclusion: The Christian life is one of paradoxes. His strength is perfect when our strength is gone. The term "renew" in the text suggests a trade or exchange. We trade in our weakness for His strength. Much better than Geritol and no lasting side effects.

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