Isaiah 64 (HCSB)
1 If only You would tear the heavens open and come down, so that mountains would quake at Your presence—
2 as fire kindles the brushwood, and fire causes water to boil—to make Your name known to Your enemies, so that nations will tremble at Your presence!
3 When You did awesome works that we did not expect, You came down, and the mountains quaked at Your presence.
4 From ancient times no one has heard, no one has listened, no eye has seen any God except You, who acts on behalf of the one who waits for Him.
5 You welcome the one who joyfully does what is right; they remember You in Your ways. But we have sinned, and You were angry. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins?
6 All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.
7 No one calls on Your name, striving to take hold of You. For You have hidden Your face from us and made us melt because of our iniquity.
8 Yet Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; we all are the work of Your hands.
9 Lord, do not be terribly angry or remember our iniquity forever. Please look—all of us are Your people!
10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
11 Our holy and beautiful temple, where our fathers praised You, has been burned with fire, and all that was dear to us lies in ruins.
12 Lord, after all this, will You restrain Yourself? Will You keep silent and afflict severely?
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 5): So often, Father, I not only struggle to do what is right, but I also struggle to do what is right with a joyful heart. Please forgive me of this flesh and world driven way of doing things, Father. Help me to be better, so that I do things in a joyful manner so that the things I do are welcoming to You and I am welcome in Your presence without the shame or guilt I typically feel afterwards.
PROMISE (verse 8-9): You promise us in these verses, Father, that we are the creation and great works of Your hands; that we are Your people. Help me to remember this promise, Father, at all times, but especially when I am feeling like I’m not enough or I can’t do something. Remind me that You are my potter and that I was created by You to be one of Your people. Remind me that although I live and walk in this world, I am not of this world. I come from a Creator who is more powerful and loving than anything this life has to offer.
ATTITUDE (verses 5-6): This is a tough one for me because I do this a lot. I basically wallow in my own iniquities and my own sin and think that I’ll never be good enough to deserve the grace and blessings You promise me, Father. Although I know all my sins are forgiven, it’s still tough not to allow my iniquities to carry me “away like the wind.” Please help me to change this sorrowful attitude so that I remember that I am already saved and just need to keep my focus on You through all things; bringing everything to You; not focusing on the iniquities of my past and worrying about making the same mistakes again; not worrying about “repairing” myself and instead allowing for You to repair me. Help me, Father.
COMMAND (verses 4-5): In these verses, You essentially command us to be patient for Your timing, but also that “You welcome the one who joyfully does what is right.” Help me to be patient, Father, so that I do things in Your timing from now on and not my own. Help me to not only do what is right, Father, but to do those things joyfully instead of begrudgingly. Help me to be more like Jesus and less like my flesh wants me to be, Father.
EXAMPLE (verse 7): The first half of this verse is so powerful to me, Father. I feel so much conviction from these few words, probably because it has been the main thing I’ve failed at in my relationship with You since coming to faith. Please help me to follow this example in my walk with Jesus, Father. Help me to not only call Your name, but to strive to “take hold of You” with all that I am, Father. Help me to feel this deep relationship and love with You where I yearn to hold You closely and tightly next to me through everything I do, Father.
*DAILY NOTE: Only 12 verses in this Scripture, but I guess You only really needed 5 of them to convict me on so many levels, Father. Thank You so much for giving me Your word and this amazing relationship with You, Father. Thank You for speaking to me, even when I often find Isaiah a tough read for me based on his writing style. Thank You for shining the light on so many things I need to work on in such a small number of words. You are an amazing counselor and teacher. I praise You and thank You for all that You’re doing for me, Father.
*GENERAL NOTE: I always "sandwich" my quiet time with God in prayer and do it in a location that I will not have any distractions so that I can be focused on my quiet time with God. Do not worry about how short or long your journal entries are for that day's quiet time. Just focus on the actual quiet time and relational conversation with God through the Holy Spirit and His Word. The journaling is an enhancement to your quiet time conversation with God, but also to allow you to reflect on things later as you can look back on your journal entries later when you do the chapters again in the future to see how you have grown. See the FAQ for more detail on how I do my quiet time.
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