The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8).
And just before verse 8, “The grass withers…when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; sure the people are grass (Isaiah 40:7).
I often think about or quote verse 8. I like to work in the garden, and I know full well that the life of a single flower is incredibly short. For daylilies, just a day; they fade by nightfall. And grass withers in the fall. It can’t even make it a year.
Yes, grass withers and flowers fade, but God never does. He’s the same yesterday, today, tomorrow. Forever.
No capriciousness in Him. No giving out before a harsh season. No fading beauty.
Reliable, trustworthy, faithful. That’s my God. He’s not like flowers and grass. While I’m ever thankful He created them, I’m not about to trust they’ll always be around. Even their return season by season is not always a sure thing.
Grass and flowers compared to God. Such extremes. God’s surety, His faithfulness, are impossible to to deny. Isaiah 40:8 drives this home.
Then I peek back at verse 7 and see the crux: surely the people are grass.
Verse 8 is not simply a powerful illustration of God’s faithfulness and His place as creator over His creation.
I am grass. I fade, I wither. Not just at the end of my life, but season by season, day by day.
People fade and wither. Night comes and we fade. Winter comes and we wither.
But the word of our God stands forever.
I am not reliable. I am not trustworthy. No one is. We all fall and stumble. We all give out. But God never does.
And God has promised to carry us. He’s promised to see us through. He’s promised to be faithful, even when we’re not. And we need all His promises. We wither. We fade.
Our God stands forever. The word of our Lord stands forever.
