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Day 58 Isaiah 64 64:1 Oh that thou would rend the heavens, that thou would come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, 2 As when the melting fire burns, the fire causes the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence! 3 When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou came down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence. 4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waits for him. 5 Thou meet him that rejoices and works righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved. 6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. 7 And there is none that calls upon thy name, that stirs up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. 8 But now, O LORD, thou art our Father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. 9 Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity forever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people. 10 Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. 11 Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste. 12 Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O LORD? Wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore? There are times in our lives when we plead for what we need. Our needs vary according to our circumstances. Isaiah wasn’t pleading according to his circumstances. He was pleading for the presence of God. He reminded God that he was like leaves that fade, he was a sinner and his transgressions were many before God. He knew the people forgot about God, but he hadn’t forgotten, he longed to see God’s presence, and not the presence of Jerusalem becoming a desolation and Zion a wilderness. He pleaded with God to stop the punishment because he was clay and so were his people. He reminded God that they were the work of his hands. As Christians, the presence of God should be strong in our lives, yet often our lives are like the grass that withers, and the flowers that fade and blow away in the wind. We forget God and all he has done for us and take his blessings for granted. We become complacent to the world around us. Such is the time we live in. We need to search to find any evidence of God. Church attendance is low. Seeking God has become a matter of emergencies, not the first thing a person does in their day. As Christians, that should not be. We need to seek God first and his righteousness and he will give us the desires of our heart. But only when we place him as a top priority in our lives. Not when we’ve tried everything the world has to offer and then remember we’re Christians and hope God will come to our rescue. God is not at our beck and call. We are at his. If you want God to help you out of your trouble, seek him when he will be found, when troubles are far away, and life is pleasant. If you only seek God in trouble, you will never find him. Isaiah knew that, and knew the state of Israel. He knew their transgressions and how far away from God they were. However, Isaiah was close to God, and sought God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. He confessed the faults of the people, and asked that God’s anger wouldn’t prevail, but that his mercy, grace, and forgiveness would. If you have been far from God, confess your sin before you ask for your need. Seek him with all your heart, repent of your wicked ways, chasing after the world and not God. Then God will be found by you, and he will forgive and help you out of your trouble. Let’s pray: Father, I am a sinner. Every day I wander into the ways of the world, allowing it to feed me, while my soul grows lean with the lack of your presence in my life. Bring me back to you. Set me on the firm foundation of your Word. Feed me with your Word and let me drink my fill of your presence until I am overflowing. Help me seek you first every day, instead of seeking the world. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 17 October 2017 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay