“Present the case for your idols,”

says the LORD.

“Let them show what they can do,”

says the King of Israel.

“Let them try to tell us what happened long ago

so that we may consider the evidence.

Or let them tell us what the future holds,

so we can know what’s going to happen.

I was the first to tell Zion,

‘Look! Help is on the way!’

I will send Jerusalem a messenger with good news.

Not one of your idols told you this.

Not one gave any answer when I asked.

See, they are all foolish, 

worthless things.

All your idols are as empty as the wind.”

Isaiah 41:21-22, 27-29

“Look at my servant, whom I strengthen.

He is my chosen one, who pleases me.

I have put my Spirit upon him.

He will bring justice to the nations.

He will not shout

or raise his voice in public.

He will not crush the weakest reed

or put out a flickering candle.

He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.

He will not falter or lose heart

until justice prevails throughout the earth.

Even distant lands beyond the sea 

will wait for his instruction.”

Isaiah 42:1-4

When the poor and needy search for water

and there is none,

and their tongues are parched from thirst,

then I, the LORD, will answer them.

I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them.

I will open up rivers for them on the high plateaus.

I will give them fountains of water in the valleys.

I will fill the desert with pools of water.

Rivers fed by springs will flow across the parched ground.

Isaiah 41:17-18

(Rio Grande River, Big Bend National Park)

The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed,

a refuge in times of trouble.

Those who know your name trust in you,

for you, O LORD,

do not abandon those who search for you.

Psalm 9:9-10

Our help is from the LORD,

who made heaven and earth.

Those who trust in the LORD 

are as secure as Mount Zion;

they will not be defeated but will endure forever. 

Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem,

so the LORD surrounds his people,

both now and forever.

Psalm 124:8;125:1-2

You made me;

you created me.

Now give me the sense to follow your commands.

Psalm 119:73

…The LORD is the everlasting God,

the Creator of all the earth.

He never grows weak or weary.

No one can measure the depths of his understanding.

He gives power to the weak

and strength to the powerless.

Even youths will become weak and tired,

and young men will fall in exhaustion.

But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength.

They will soar high on wings like eagles.

They will run and not grow weary.

They will walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31

Look up into the heavens.

Who created all the stars?

He brings them out like an army,

one after another,

calling each by its name.

Because of his great power

and incomparable strength,

not a single one is missing.

Isaiah 40:26

Yes,

the Sovereign LORD is coming in power.

He will rule with a powerful arm.

See, 

he brings his reward with him as he comes.

He will feed his flock like a shepherd.

He will carry the lambs in his arms,

holding them close to his heart.

He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.

Isaiah 40:10-11

Yet I still dare to hope

when I remember this:

The faithful love of the LORD never ends!

His mercies never cease.

Great is his faithfulness;

his mercies begin afresh each morning.

I say to myself,

“The LORD is my inheritance;

therefore,

I will hope in him!”

The LORD is good to those who depend on him,

to those who search for him.

Lamentations 3:21-25