In November 2014, police found a 13-year-old boy who had been missing for 4 years. The heart- wrenching story grew even more shocking when police revealed that the boy’s father and stepmother had the boy all the time—hidden behind a fake wall in their house during most hours of each day. For 4 long years the boy waited to be found, waited to be reunited with his mother.
The Scriptures narrate how often God’s people have waited for God and waited to be found. Isaiah recounts how Israel called on Him in distress, crying out to their God who was not acting as they expected. He was not doing for them what He had done for their forefathers. The people pleaded in prayer for God to “burst from the heavens and come down” (Isaiah 64:1). Like God’s action at Mt. Sinai generations before, Israel longed for Him to again “come down so that the mountains would quake at [God’s] presence” (Isaiah 64:1 NRSV).
Trampled, weary, and destitute, the people needed their God to act again. “As fire causes wood to burn and water to boil,” Isaiah said, “your coming would make the nations tremble” (Isaiah 64:2). Israel was pinned under the heel of their oppressor. Their future looked bleak, without hope. They were desperate for God’s fire, for God’s action. The people recognized that their only hope was that God would save them.
This is one of the great desires in our lives as we seek to follow God. We feel the tension between what we long for God to do (to heal us and restore us and make us—and our world—whole) and the painful fact that often our full redemption hasn’t yet arrived.
But God did act. He did burst from the heavens and come down. In Jesus, help came. In Jesus, God arrived. And now we wait again, but we wait in hope.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Acts 13:1-12
More:
Look at Isaiah 64:1-9 again. What does Israel return to in Isaiah 64:4 as the source of her hope? In verse Isaiah 64:8, what image of God gives them their confidence?
Next:
When in your life have you felt the strongest ache for God to burst from the heavens and help you? Where do you sense the need for God to do this right now?
Gary Shultz on October 28, 2015 at 6:09 am
During the pregnancy of the wait God has great purpose. We do long for looking expectantly for global, national, local, family and personal events and issues to be resolved. While we have this anxiousness God must still be God, not a small secret to you. Many have sacrificed and never saw the resolve of their matter only to have God move in a greater way than they could have dreamed. So my conclusion is, we serve a God who knows and brings all together, even in the longing of our hearts for rescue we must be obedient to His directions. One thing we can be sure of God does not waste or lightly count the cry of His child. Thank you.
Winn Collier on October 28, 2015 at 3:20 pm
Pregnancy is a very Biblical (Romans) and visceral image for this kind of waiting.
Tom Felten on October 28, 2015 at 8:24 am
It’s true, Winn. The hope and joy we experience today flows from the reality of Jesus coming to us and transforming the world. One day all things will be made new, and we will experience the fullness of His presence and what it means to be complete in Him!
Winn Collier on October 28, 2015 at 3:21 pm
that’s a very good hope, enough to hang your life on.
BearPair on October 28, 2015 at 5:19 pm
“…And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.!!!” (Rom.5.5) Excellent Winn–Thanks!
Winn Collier on October 28, 2015 at 5:31 pm
it does not ultimately disappoint, good reminder.