Scripture: Isaiah 63:7 — 64:12

I. While you wait, talk to God about God.
A. Isaiah begins to pray in Isaiah 63:7 not by talking about Himself. Instead, He talks to God about God. We need to be reminded of who God is so that our faith can be strengthened as we wait on God to act. God is a God of steadfast love (vs. 7) and of great goodness. He calls you “my people” (vs. 8). And when you are in pain, God is in pain (vs. 9). He is like a mother who lifts you up and carries you (vs. 9). And He is a God who is very patient with you when you act like His enemy (vs. 10). God always remembers the rebellious children that He loves (vs. 11-13).

II. While you wait, pray for God to intervene.
A. We see Isaiah pray for Israel’s needs beginning in Isaiah 63:15. Isaiah prays for God to change His heart toward His sinful people. And He prays in Isaiah 64:1: “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down.” That prayer was answered at Jesus’ baptism. Mark 1:9-10: “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.” God intervened when He sent Jesus at Christmas.

III. While you wait, confess your sin.
A. What should we do when we see our dark sins in the light of day? Confess those sins. This is what Isaiah does in the middle of Isaiah 64:5: “Behold, you were angry, and we sinned.” God was angry with His people for good reason. If you struggle to confess sin, use Isaiah’s words as a model in vs. 6-7. We are unclean like lepers. And all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment (vs. 6). We are stained by our sins. In spite of all this sin, we don’t seek God as we should (vs. 7). God hides His face from us (vs. 7) because of all our sins. Isaiah 64:5: “In our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?” We certainly don’t deserve to be saved.

IV. While you wait, depend totally on God.
A. Israel needed to be saved from their Babylonian enemy. Could they depend on God to forgive them and save them? Yes. Why? Isaiah 64:8 gives us the answer: “But now, O LORD, you are our Father.” Fathers forgive their children. God would answer his prayer to rend the heavens and come down from Isaiah 64:1. And God will rend the heavens again when He sends Jesus to earth a second time to take you home with Him to heaven and the renewed creation. Only God could create this kind of a world. And we can depend on God to give His children this world.

Application:
Keep praying for God to tear the heavens and come down and free you from sin and death.

Sources:
The book of Isaiah
Commentaries by J.A. Motyer, Derek Thomas, David Jackman, Bob Fyall and Tim Chester.

Sermon Discussion Questions

1) How was Christmas an answer to people’s prayers? How would it help your prayers to
ask God to come down again to help His people?
2) Before you received Jesus, you were naturally God’s enemy. What is God to you now
because Jesus has come for us?
3) What holds you back from persisting in prayer? How can you learn from Isaiah 64?