A Call to Rend the Heavens
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Isaiah 64:1-5
1. O that thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at thy presence -- 2. as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil -- to make thy name known to thy adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at thy presence! 3. When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains quaked at thy presence. 4. From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides thee, who works for those who wait for him. 5. Thou meetest him that joyfully works righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways. Behold, thou wast angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?
I spent a long time in Isaiah this morning. I so love the words of comfort and reassurances God offers us in many parts of this book. There are also, though, many warnings about our continued sin and what will happen when we reject God! This morning, I am in need of comforting words, as it appears that the missing college student we have an indirect relationship with has been found dead in a shallow grave 50 miles from here. At times like these, we do want God to pour down his justice upon the earth! As the mother of a college-age daughter, my heart is breaking/has been breaking for her family.
And in our daily lives, as the weeks and months and years go by, we may feel as if we need God to act with power and might --- make mountains quake and rend the heavens -- to get the attention of those who live in sin. Our world is full of evil; full of those who work against what God has established. Life is ever a challenge to be faithful, when it feels as if everyone is against us and everything is working to defeat us. And on the really tough days, we feel like God needs to step in and “make a powerful statement.”
But it occurs to me that Jesus changed all that! Until that time God acted in mighty and powerful ways to “get the attention” of his people. Since Christ, the rules have changed. We are now his messengers. Our lives are to be “His” statement. We are not be discouraged. We are not to lose hope. We have the promise of eternal life. We did not earn it. We did not live up to any contract. We didn’t accomplish it through our faithfulness. Just the opposite is the case! We have the promise in spite of ourselves.
It may seem small comfort to us that justice will be doled out at the end of time. Especially when we are in the midst of a difficult situation. But we also have the assurance that God will be with us as we walk this earth--through it all he will lift us up and pull us to himself. We are to keep believing. We are to endlessly spread the good news to a fallen world. We are to pray for the souls of those who spread evil. We are to thank God for the redemption of souls for those who believe in him and trust in him.
We are to be God’s messengers now. How we live our lives, and how we treat others are to be God’s signs to His world. Our simple acts of kindness. Our choices to take the “harder” path. Our decision to follow Jesus and live that out every day. Those are God’s signs for the world today. We are the strong mountains and the springs in the desert to a barren wasteland in a fallen world.
My prayer today is that the God of all comfort lifts you up, clutches you to himself, and strengthens you to live in his world. And that you pray for the lost souls who live in this world with us.
Mary
