To Whom Will You Liken God?
As we continue our look at the questions God asks of His creatures, Isaiah 40 has been a veritable gold mine. We looked at Isaiah 40:12-17 to get a proper perspective of ourselves in comparison to the Lord. Last time we looked at Isaiah 40:18-24 which shifts our focus almost completely on the Lord. Isaiah 40:25-31 emphasizes again the transcendent nature of God, showing the absolutely immeasurable gap between Creator and creature. Then we are told that it is possible for us to have a relationship with this Supreme Being. The relationship will be of great benefit for us.
Verses 25-26 declares the unfathomable power of God who has no equal to whom He could be compared. God has partially manifested His greatness in the heavens by creating, organizing, numbering, naming, and keeping track of the stars. 25 “To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing. (NASU) I do not suppose you can match those feats.
Verses 27-28 declare that God knows everything about His people. There is nothing about them that is hidden from Him. 27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. (NASU) When God’s people get tired, we should remember that God does not get tired. When we feel mistreated and forgotten, we should remember that God, who keeps track of the stars, also keeps track of us. Nothing escapes His knowledge.
Verses 29-31 are some of the bestknown verses in the Bible. They have been a great source of encouragement to God’s people for nearly three thousand years. 29 He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. 30 Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, 31 Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. (NASU) The creature who is rightly related to the Creator will receive blessing from Him. The strongest, ablest, and swiftest among us will lose strength, power, speed, and stamina but God will not, cannot. Even those in the prime of life will stumble badly, but not God.
Every human being has felt tired, discouraged, and forgotten. Certainly, it is possible to be overwhelmed with responsibilities and troubles. It is possible that most or all humans will forget and forsake us. The discouragement may turn into real despair. But the truth God is communicating in this passage is that there is a remedy. Repenting of sin and placing trust in the Creator will put one in right relationship to Him. The same problems will still knock on your door, but God will be with you and He will never forsake you. He will give you the strength and courage and wisdom to persevere, really to overcome. That is a promise directly from Him, here as well as in many other Scriptures.
Looking to advance to the regional tournament, the Bismarck Lions battled hard against rivals, the Centerpoint Knights, Thursday in the 3A-7 District Tournament.
Having defeated Fouke 53-27 Tuesday in their first tournament game, the Lions had momentum as they traveled to Centerpoint. The Lions just couldn’t overcome their first quarter deficit against the Knights and lost 41-39 to end their postseason run.
The Lions finish the 20202021 season with a 14-12 overall record and a 6-8 conference record.
The Lions started Thursday’s game with a four point run and held the lead until the 4:43 mark. From there, the Knights were able to score seven unanswered points to take a three-point lead, 7-4, over the Lions.
In the second quarter, the Lions came out with backto-back shots to take the lead 9-7. The Knights then went on a 12 point run to take their largest lead of the night, 10 points, with 3:13 remaining. The Lions answered though with three 3-pointers and a free-throw to knot the game at 19-19 with under 40 seconds left. But as time expired, the Knights drilled their own 3-pointer to take a 22-19 lead into halftime.
Coming out of the half, the Knights went on a 5-1 run to take a seven point lead down to the 4:20 mark. The Lions rallied with a basket and two free throws, but the Knights were able to add another three points at the end of the quarter to take a five-point, 30-25, lead into the fourth.
In the final quarter of play, the Lions outscored the Knights 14-11. At the 39 second mark, the Lions had cut the Knights’ lead to two points and had multiple chances to get the win. The Lions stole the ball on the Knights’ next possession but missed the shot and couldn’t obtain the rebound. The Lions then fouled to send the Knights to the free throw line where they missed both attempts. With just seconds remaining the Lions threw up a 3-pointer that bounced off the rim and landed into the hands of the Knights, with only tenths of a second left in the game. The Lions quickly fouled and had one last chance to get the win after the Knights missed their free throws, but couldn’t get the ball to fall through the hoop.
Bismarck’s Dawson King was the leading scorer for the Lions with 14 points. King also added nine rebounds and two assists. Ian Smith was the next leading scorer with 13 points and also had two steals. Other players coming up big for the Lions was Grady Howell with four points and three rebounds; Carson House with four points; Logan Bubulka with two points and six rebounds; and Braven Golden with two points.
Bismarck Lady Lions District Tournament Results
The Lady Lions played their first district tournament game Wednesday against the Genoa Central Lady Dragons at Holt Gymnasium in Bismarck. The Lady Dragons were able to just edge out the Lady Lions to get the win by one point, 38-37, to end the Lady Lions season.