There Is No God Like You
Isaiah 64:4: "From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him."
The job of a prophet in the Old Testament was one filled with challenge, rejection, and disappointment. How stubborn the hearts and the minds of God's people could be then and can still be today. Isaiah bemoaned the lack of faith found in Israel during his ministry. Despite all that God had done on behalf of the nation of Israel, they were quick to forget and quick to embrace the pagan idolatry surrounding them.
The Lord had rescued Israel from the pagan land of Egypt, led them through the wilderness, and eventually made the way for them into the Promised Land. There, the Israelites experienced rest-rest from their slavery, rest from their wanderings, rest from their enemies. That rest was a glorious fulfillment of God's covenantal promise to Abraham and the forefathers.
Isaiah longed for his people to remember how powerless the gods of Egypt were against the Lord of the Hebrews. All the pagan gods together could not compare to Israel's God. Where the pagan gods could render no power for their people, could not manifest their presence among the people, and demonstrated no love or compassion for the people, Israel's God did all those things throughout Israel's history. Truly, there was no God like the God of Israel. Their God alone was the one who intervened on behalf of his people, led his people, and cared for his people.
Isaiah would have his people come back to seek the Lord and to wait on the manifestation of his presence and power again. Those who waited on the Lord would never be disappointed, while those who pushed on without him would eventually see the futility of their ways. Isaiah spoke, shouted, and cried out to the people, but they would not listen. Their hearts were hard; their ears were blocked; and their eyes were closed to the Lord.
Advent is a time in which we are called to prepare our lives for the second coming of the Lord. It is a time in which we must ask the Lord to soften our hearts, unblock our ears, and open our eyes. May we remember today that there is none like our God, and may we repent of the many ways we have forgotten him, forgotten his intervention in our lives, and forgotten that he alone is worthy of our lives and worship.
Reflection:
Will you set aside 15 minutes today to ask the Lord to soften your heart, unblock your ears, and open your eyes to his glory, his presence, and his work in your life?
The job of a prophet in the Old Testament was one filled with challenge, rejection, and disappointment. How stubborn the hearts and the minds of God's people could be then and can still be today. Isaiah bemoaned the lack of faith found in Israel during his ministry. Despite all that God had done on behalf of the nation of Israel, they were quick to forget and quick to embrace the pagan idolatry surrounding them.
The Lord had rescued Israel from the pagan land of Egypt, led them through the wilderness, and eventually made the way for them into the Promised Land. There, the Israelites experienced rest-rest from their slavery, rest from their wanderings, rest from their enemies. That rest was a glorious fulfillment of God's covenantal promise to Abraham and the forefathers.
Isaiah longed for his people to remember how powerless the gods of Egypt were against the Lord of the Hebrews. All the pagan gods together could not compare to Israel's God. Where the pagan gods could render no power for their people, could not manifest their presence among the people, and demonstrated no love or compassion for the people, Israel's God did all those things throughout Israel's history. Truly, there was no God like the God of Israel. Their God alone was the one who intervened on behalf of his people, led his people, and cared for his people.
Isaiah would have his people come back to seek the Lord and to wait on the manifestation of his presence and power again. Those who waited on the Lord would never be disappointed, while those who pushed on without him would eventually see the futility of their ways. Isaiah spoke, shouted, and cried out to the people, but they would not listen. Their hearts were hard; their ears were blocked; and their eyes were closed to the Lord.
Advent is a time in which we are called to prepare our lives for the second coming of the Lord. It is a time in which we must ask the Lord to soften our hearts, unblock our ears, and open our eyes. May we remember today that there is none like our God, and may we repent of the many ways we have forgotten him, forgotten his intervention in our lives, and forgotten that he alone is worthy of our lives and worship.
Reflection:
Will you set aside 15 minutes today to ask the Lord to soften your heart, unblock your ears, and open your eyes to his glory, his presence, and his work in your life?
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