This script for a future radio program is appropriate for this Christmas season. Isaiah’s heart cry in Isaiah 64:1 was fulfilled in the first coming of Jesus. Our present heart cry will ultimately be fulfilled in Christ’s second coming. In the words of Paul in 1st Corinthians 16:22, and John in Revelation 22:20, “Maranatha” meaning, “Come, O Lord!”
I am always gripped by the opening words of Isaiah 64, “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!” When I see the evil sweeping across our land I’m often prompted to cry out with Isaiah, “Oh, that you, God, would rend the heavens and come down!” Or when I see the church impotent in the face of the challenges before her, I’m prompted to cry out, “Oh, that you, God, would rend the heavens and come down!” Even more so, when at times I see the coldness or indifference of my own heart, “Oh, that you, God, would rend the heavens and come down!” Isaiah continues in verse 4, “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” That’s the secret. Cry out to God to come down and act. Then wait on Him. So often we become impatient. We think God should come through for us because of our efforts at living righteously. Then, as we wait in His presence it becomes apparent we are not as righteous as we thought. In fact, Isaiah says, “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” God doesn’t act because we’re righteous. He acts because He loves us as our Father. Listen to verse 8, “O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” That’s an additional key. Cry out to God to come down and act. Wait on Him. Be pliable clay in His hands. Then yield to the loving touch, and sometimes firm pressure, of the potter’s hand. Let Him mold you into a vessel that’s fit for His use. Trust Him.