Mid-week Chapel Services
The God Who Carries Us
Isaiah 46:3–4
Wednesday Seniors’ Gathering
Every Wednesday, I have the great privilege of worshipping with some of the most beautiful souls I know — men and women who have walked long roads, weathered great storms, and carried more than most will ever know. This week, I brought them a word from the Prophet Isaiah — not a word about what we must do for God, but a word about what He has already done, is doing now, and will keep doing for us. This is for them. And perhaps, it is for you too.
Introduction
Friends, the world tells us from a young age that the goal of life is to stand on our own two feet — to be self-sufficient, to carry our own weight, to need no one.
But today, the Prophet Isaiah brings us a different word from the heart of God. Not a word about independence, but about blessed dependence. In Isaiah 46, God is not asking how much we can carry for Him. He is reminding us how much He has already carried for us — and how much He always will.
The God of Our Past
1. He Has Upheld Us
He Has Upheld Us
“You whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born…”
Take a moment to look back. Many of you carry decades of stories — seasons of great joy: weddings, new life, answered prayers. And seasons of deep valley: losses, illness, nights when you weren’t sure how you’d get through.
A grandmother once told her grandchildren: “We didn’t have GPS back then. We just drove, got lost, argued about it — and eventually arrived with a better story than we expected.”
Sound familiar? We didn’t always know the road. But Someone always did.
Here is what the rearview mirror shows us: He was there. Not watching from a distance — upholding you. Like a father scooping up a child too tired to take another step, God has navigated you through every storm and brought you safely to this very day. That is not luck. That is faithfulness.
The God of Our Present
2. He Is Sustaining Us
He Is Sustaining Us
“I am He, I am He who will sustain you…”
One of the honest realities of growing older is that we become more aware of our limitations. Our strength isn’t what it once was. Our pace has slowed. It is easy — so easy — to feel “less than” because we can no longer do as much as we used to.
An elderly woman was spotted at the grocery store pushing her cart slowly down every aisle — even the ones with nothing she needed. When her daughter asked why, she smiled and said, “Honey, it’s the only thing I can lean on.”
We chuckle — but isn’t that the truth? Sometimes God allows the very thing we lean on to be the thing that keeps us moving forward.
But look at the beauty of this promise: God’s sustaining power is not dependent on ours. When we are weak, He is not frustrated with us — He is ready for us. Whatever you need today — peace for an anxious mind, comfort for a lonely heart, strength for a weary body — God says simply: “I am He.” He is the well that never runs dry. You do not have to carry this alone.
The God of Our Future
3. He Will Carry Us Home
He Will Carry Us Home
“Even to your old age and gray hairs… I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”
There is a breathtaking continuity in God’s love. He does not love us because we are young or useful or productive. He loves us because He made us.
Picture a grandparent at the end of a long family gathering. The dishes are done. The grandchildren are asleep on the couch. One by one, quietly, the grandparent picks each child up and carries them to bed.
Not because they were asked. Not because it was convenient. Simply because they made them — and they love them. That is the picture God paints of Himself here. He will come for you — not because you earned it, but because you are His.
That phrase — “I am He” — is one of the great names of God. It means He is the Unchanging One. Whatever gray hairs or unknowns lie ahead, we do not face them with an uncertain God. The same hands that knit you together in your mother’s womb are the same hands that will carry you home. He is not finished with you. He promises not merely to walk beside you, but to rescue you — to bring you safely, fully, and forever into His eternal presence.
Conclusion
As we prepare to close, let us simply rest in this truth:
You are not a burden to God.
You are His treasure.
You don’t have to be strong enough, fast enough, or young enough. You only have to be held.
And now — let these words move from our minds into our mouths.
Let us stand and sing together — not as a performance, but as a declaration.
These are not just old hymns. They are our testimony.
✦ Closing Hymns ✦
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
“What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms…”
My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less
“On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand…”
