Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb,
“I, the Lord, am the maker of all things,
Stretching out the heavens by Myself
And spreading out the earth all alone…
²⁶ Confirming the word of His servant
And performing the purpose of His messengers,” (44:24, 26).

God presents His truth yet again; He Is Creator, the Maker of all things, faithfully forming every living being for His Purpose; and because He Is Perfect, He Perfectly Performs His Purpose.

While this chapter does not introduce us to any new information about the Lord that He hasn’t shared before, it is another opportunity to see Him in His Story, that each morning would bring new awareness and understanding of Who He Is and All He Does.

The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness, (Lamentations 3:22-23).

And yet again, we hear God reiterate His incomparable power and faithfulness in the truth of Who He Is and What He Has Done to those who persist in repeatedly closing their ears.

“Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it;
Yes, let him recount it to Me in order,
From the time that I established the ancient nation.
And let them declare to them the things that are coming
And the events that are going to take place,” (44:7).

And today, I sat stunned. Stunned that He continually repeats Himself for our benefit; and even more stunned that we so often ignore His voice, tuning Him out with our “been there, done that, bought that t-shirt” attitude.

And I just couldn’t get over the fact that His message is unchanging while we are so unsteady; that His Ways are so faithful while we are so fickle; and in His unchanging faithfulness, He Perfectly Performs His Purpose to provide our greatest need, to redeem us and forgive our sins.

“I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake,
And I will not remember your sins.
²⁶ “Put Me in remembrance, let us argue our case together;
State your cause, that you may be proved right.
²⁷ “Your first forefather sinned,
And your spokesmen have transgressed against Me.
²⁸ “So I will pollute the princes of the sanctuary,
And I will consign Jacob to the ban and Israel to revilement,” (Isaiah 43:25-28).

And it is as though God has gathered His people to hear His Story, His lesson in history, so desirous that His people would learn, so as not to repeat the errors of their ancestors.

 “But now listen, O Jacob, My servant,
And Israel, whom I have chosen,” (44:1).

For their root problem was their propensity to forget their history, to forget His Story that is revealed in His Word, His Works, and His Ways. And it seems as though class is in session, that His people would learn, remember and place their trust in these things He Has spoken and performed.

“Remember these things, O Jacob,
And Israel, for you are My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant,
O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me, (44:21).

And as He takes the time to once again convey the truths of Who He Is, the undeniable fact that He is the Only One able to Perfectly Perform His Purpose is magnificently made known.

Consider Him Who Perfectly Performs His Purpose

• He Perfectly Performs His Purpose; He alone is the Creator.
  • Thus says the Lord who made you
    And formed you from the womb, who will help you,
    “Do not fear, O Jacob My servant;
    And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen,” (44:2).

• He Perfectly Performs His Purpose; He alone is the Sustainer.
  • “For I will pour out water on the thirsty land
    And streams on the dry ground;
    I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring
    And My blessing on your descendants,” (44:3).

• He Perfectly Performs His Purpose; He alone is King, Redeemer, and Lord of Hosts.
  • Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts… (44:6).

• He Perfectly Performs His Purpose; He alone is Eternal.
  • …“I am the first and I am the last,
    And there is no God besides Me,” (44:6).

• He Perfectly Performs His Purpose; He alone is Omniscient.
  • “Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it;
    Yes, let him recount it to Me in order,
    From the time that I established the ancient nation.
    And let them declare to them the things that are coming
    And the events that are going to take place,” (44:7).

• He Perfectly Performs His Purpose; He alone is God, our Rock.
  • “Do not tremble and do not be afraid;
    Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it?
    And you are My witnesses.
    Is there any God besides Me,
    Or is there any other Rock?
    I know of none,” (44:8).

• He Perfectly Performs His Purpose; He alone formed us to be His servant.
  •  “Remember these things, O Jacob,
    And Israel, for you are My servant;
    I have formed you, you are My servant,
    O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me,” (44:21).

• He Perfectly Performs His Purpose; He alone forgives and redeems us of our sins.
  •  “I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud
    And your sins like a heavy mist.
    Return to Me, for I have redeemed you,” (44:22).

• He Perfectly Performs His Purpose; He alone formed us from the womb and stretched out the heavens and the earth.
  • Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb,
    “I, the Lord, am the maker of all things,
    Stretching out the heavens by Myself
    And spreading out the earth all alone,” (44:24).

• He Perfectly Performs His Purpose; He alone possesses true wisdom and all knowledge.
  • “Causing the omens of boasters to fail,
    Making fools out of diviners,
    Causing wise men to draw back
    And turning their knowledge into foolishness,” (44:25).

• He Perfectly Performs His Purpose; He alone confirms and fulfills His Word.
  • “Confirming the word of His servant
    And performing the purpose of His messengers.
    It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’
    And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’
    And I will raise up her ruins again.’
    ²⁷ “It is I who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Be dried up!’
    And I will make your rivers dry,’” (44:26-27).

• He Perfectly Performs His Purpose; He alone Perfectly Performs All His Desire.
  • “It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd!
    And he will perform all My desire.’
    And he declares of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’
    And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid,’” (44:28).

How do we respond to Him Who Perfectly Performs His Purpose?

As if to further emphasize His unstoppable ability to Perfectly Perform His Purpose, Almighty God interrupts His lesson in His Story to highlight the futility of mere men’s fruitless attempts to fashion their own gods. And the contrast between the blatant lies of man-made gods and the blessed truths of the God Who formed us with His Hands is both loathsome and ludicrous.

Those who fashion a graven image are all of them futile, and their precious things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame… ¹⁹ No one recalls, nor is there knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then I make the rest of it into an abomination, I fall down before a block of wood!” ²⁰ He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” (44:9, 19-20).

Oh, let us come to meet Him and continue in His Word daily, that He would strengthen us in His Truth that frees us from every deceptive lie of the enemy.

 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; ³² and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free,”  (John 8:31-32).

History lessons are meant to teach us about the past that we would live better in our present and be intentional towards our future. Let us learn well from His Word of Truth, that we may live without fear and in the confidence He gives that He Perfectly Performs His Purpose in all of life.

Thus says the Lord who made you
And formed you from the womb, who will help you,
‘Do not fear, O Jacob My servant;
And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen, (44:2).

The day is coming when all of His creation will break forth with shouts of praise when He comes again in all His glory to Perfectly Perform His Purpose.

Shout for joy, O heavens, for the Lord has done it!
Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth;
Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it;
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob
And in Israel He shows forth His glory. (44:23).

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, ¹² saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” ¹³ And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” (Revelation 5:11-13).

But oh, let us not wait for that day to praise Him; for when we belong to Him, when we are chosen as His own, how can we not praise Him with all that we are? Let us never get comfortable that we have been there or done that with Him. If we own that t-shirt, let’s toss it out today, that each and every day we would listen and remember His lessons in His Story.

Oh, that we would offer Him unceasing praise for all that He has spoken to us and all that He has done for us, and for all that we know is coming. Let us praise Him in faith, thanksgiving and absolute conviction that because He has formed His plans long ago with His Perfect Faithfulness, He will Perfectly Perform His Purpose.

O Lord, You are my God;
I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name;
For You have worked wonders,
Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness, (Isaiah 25:1).

Let’s Grow Together!