Isaiah 64:1-12

In times of trouble we can seek the Lord.  In fact, we can seek the Lord at any time so we might be able to avoid trouble.  Israel finds herself in great trouble and distress because of idolatry, immorality and all the resulting consequences.  This has brought about captivity, destruction of the land and most significantly a sense of isolation and abandonment from God.  Our sin separates us from God, hinders our relationship with God and places us under the wrath of God.  The only response available to us in this situation is to cry out to the Lord.  God uses the consequences of sin to motivate us to call out to Him in repentance and desperation.

A PRAYER FOR REVELATION: The prayer of God’s people is for Him to reveal Himself to them once again as He has done in the past.  The people have grown desperate in their plight and now recognize that their only hope is through divine intervention.  They long to see God break through the clouds and make the mountains tremble once again at the sound of His voice.  They remember God’s special revelation of the past and long to have this kind of revelation once again.  The nations trembled before the revelation of God as He did unprecedented acts of wonder before His people.  However, Israel’s sin has left her in this terrible state of rejection before the Lord.  So now they cry out before Him that He might reveal Himself to them once again.


A PRAYER FOR RECONCILIATION: In order for a person to get saved, they must first recognize that they are lost.  Israel has come to that point in this chapter, where they can clearly see that they have sinned and are separated from God.  This is the first step toward reconciliation.  Once we know we are sinners, we will humble ourselves before God and recognize His right to do with us as He pleases.  We do not come before God to bargain with Him or to justify ourselves before Him but to simply throw ourselves at His feet in hopes of mercy and grace.  He is our creator and has the right to do with us whatever He pleases.  We must come to a point of longing to be forgiven, cleansed and reconciled once again to the blessing of fellowship with God.  We must come to the end of ourselves be sickened by our own sinfulness and cry out for the Lord to reconcile us to Himself.

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