Whose fault?

No one calls on your name 

or strives to lay hold of you; 

for you have hidden your face from us 

and made us waste away because of our sins.                Isa. 64. 7

These words make it sound as if God is at fault. Calling on the name of the Lord invokes an image of urgent prayer when in distress. This is not happening. Nobody, it seems, cries out to God or tries to lay hold of Him.

The people excuse this omission by accusing God of having hidden His face from them and causing them to waste away because of their own sin. What a pathetic abdication of their covenant undertaking this appears to be. 

Surely, when they have sinned, and seem to be most aware of it, this is the time to confess and repent. Now is the time to press into God, to call on His name, and to strive to lay hold of Him. Don’t the people see this? If they took the right action, I firmly believe that God would respond, and respond positively.

Paul makes the action quite clear” “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Rom. 10.13) The non-believer who gains some knowledge of the presence and love of God, and who calls out to Him in earnest, will be saved. So will the long-standing Christian who might find him/herself in need of His help. As we call out, He will hear and He will respond. We may think He’s not there, not listening and not caring. I cannot subscribe to this thinking. I believe that our non-recognition of God’s presence does not mean that He is not there. This, surely, is a time to believe, even though we do not see. 

Precious Lord,

At this moment I can say with confidence that You are there. However, there may be times when I do not have the assurance what You are with me. I pray for faith in such situations, for a belief, a knowing that You are with me. I hold to Your promise that You will never leave me nor forsake me. I trust You, and I thank You.              Amen.

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