Isaiah 40:25-28

Speaking for the LORD, the prophet says: "Why do you complain, my people, saying, 'My way is hidden from the LORD, my cause is disregarded by God?' Do you not know? The LORD is the everlasting God, the creator of the world, who does not tire or grow weary."

The author of Isaiah 40-55 is writing to the leaders of Judah who have been resettled to Babylon after the destruction of Jerusalem in 576 BCE. But the Persians under Cyrus are about to conquer the Babylonians, and that will make it possible to restore Jerusalem and the temple. The prophet tells the people to trust in the God even though they do not understand why they have had to suffer so bitterly. No wonder then that Cyrus is praised in scripture as the "shepherd" of God. (Isaiah 44:28)

The author of Isaiah 40-55 refers to the creation of the world by God more often than any other writer included in the Old Testament. When history is inexplicable as it was in the time of Isaiah, one answer is to fall back on the power of God revealed by creation. Perhaps this is how we will understand God in the 21st century.

Grace and peace...Bob