Isaiah 45

I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.
I am the Lord and there is no other.
There is no other; there is no other god.
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
There is no God apart from me.
There is none but me.
I am God, and there is no other.
In the Lord alone.


The sovereignty of God resonates throughout his word and his everlasting strength is seen in every corner of the earth. How many times do we have to listen to Him speak before we can hear Him? How many times do we have to witness His wonders before we can see Him?

I sat in chapel and counted every time God said there is no one like him in Isaiah 45 and every time I underlined that phrase, it struck deeper into my soul. As I continued to read I found some more lines that silenced any doubt or complain I might have against him


Though you have not acknowledged me.
I form the light and create the darkness.
I bring prosperity and create disaster.
Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker.
Does the clay say to the potter "what are you making?"
Do you question me about my children?
Do you give me orders about the work of my hands.
It is I who made the earth and created mankind upon it.
I have not said to Jacob's descendants "seek me in vain".
I, the Lord, speak the truth.
I declare what is right.
In the Lord alone are righteousness and strength.

After coming back from Lesotho I felt so guilty because I didn't buy a souvenir from one of the local villagers. It truly hurt my heart to know that I had decided to save my money for something better without realizing that buying something from her would provide her children with milk or tuition to attend school. I didn't realize that her needs are so much greater than my desires for fun and I didn't realize that she lives to survive.

The question that comes to mind when I encounter people like that is: why? Why do they live in small huts and suffer from the cold? Why can't they have enough to buy food? Why do the children in Lesotho play with sticks and stones while children in the US have isles of toys to choose from at the store? Why can't God just bring justice? The biggest question I've struggled with for years is: Why me? Why was I born into a family that could afford a little more than just survival? Why do I have enough to buy extra and not just work to eat? Why does God love me so much that He saves me and blesses me even when I don't acknowledge him?

Some of those Lesotho people are probably better followers of Christ than I am, so why doesn't God make us switch places because I don't deserve the goodness I encounter every morning when I wake up and they don't deserve the suffering they witness day by day. He is the Lord, and there is none but Him. Do I, as the clay, question the potter and question how the Maker of the universe decides to run things? No. I am no one to question God's authority and I am nothing to think that I could do something. God does not ask us to seek him in vain. When those Lesotho people seek Him, it is not in vain. When I seek Him, it is not in vain. For the Lord Almighty knows what great things He has in store for us. What we see now is a glimpse of His glory and we strive to work for His kingdom here on earth, but with everything else we just wait upon the Lord and trust that He knows what He is doing. One day every tongue will confess that He is God and we will see that there is no one else like Him.

He creates prosperity and He creates disaster. He is the Lord, and there is no one else. I can't give Him orders about the work of His hands. He is Lord.