Isaiah's Plea

"Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down!  How the mountains would quake in your presence!  As fire causes wood to burn and water to boil, your coming would make the nations tremble."  Isaiah 64:1-2

Isaiah’s heartfelt cry should be ours today—that God would visit us in His awesome power, that the whole world would acknowledge Him and fear Him.  Isaiah goes on to list some reasons why God has turned His back on His people.

• “We are constant sinners.” (verse 5)
• “When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.” (verse 6)
• “No one calls on your name or pleads with you for mercy.” (verse 7)

We can’t just point the finger at others and blame them—we have to get honest and search our own hearts.  Notice that Isaiah didn’t say “They are constant sinners.”—he said “We are constant sinners.”  Intercessors must identify themselves with the sins of the people.   That is called humility.  Remember the prayer of the Pharisee, ”I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else.”?