Isaiah 65:1: “I
permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted
Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, ‘Here am I, Here am
I,’ to a nation which did not call on My name.”
Isaiah 66:1–2:
“Thus says the Lord, ‘Heaven is my
throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for
Me? And where is a place that I may rest? For My hand made all these things,
thus all these things came into being,’ declares the Lord. But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and
contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.”
Observation:
Isaiah 66 begins with God’s reminder of His supremacy. He said that His throne
is heaven, and the earth is His footstool; what more of value could I possibly
add? He declared that everything I see is something He has created; it all came
into existence because of Him. Yet look what He values: those who are humble
and who have a contrite spirit, those who tremble at His word are the ones He
esteems. It isn’t what I do that pleases God, but the set of my heart to obey
Him. Lest I think He is passive in this relationship,
I read in Isaiah 65:1 a delightful picture of the Father’s heart whenever
He is discovered by one of His children.
Application: There
is a childlike quality to this verse. Imagine an innocent, young child playing hide
and seek. As the game begins, the child first runs to an inadequate hiding
place; some part of her anatomy seems always to be exposed. Generally it’s the head as she sneaks
repeated peeks to see how the game of discovery is progressing. In her
eagerness to be found, she may spring out shouting, “Here I am! Here I am!” That’s the delightful image of
this passage, illustrating God’s profound eagerness to be found. He does not conceal Himself well; rather, He chooses
strategies and creates circumstances intended to expose Himself to the one who
seeks. Moreover, He is also the source of my internal motivation to seek Him in
the first place. Why? Because only as we come face to face with our Creator can
we be filled with true humility and live with a contrite heart. That is what He
esteems, what He values.
Prayer: O God,
You have done it all. You have drawn me to Yourself after planting deep within
my soul a longing to be Yours. You have created all I see, and caused my heart
to be overwhelmed by Your awesome love and power. Thank You for enabling me to find You. Thank
You for giving me the desire to enter into Your life. Look at me, Father;
esteem me as You see Your dear Son when Your gaze falls upon me. And keep
working in me, Lord, to finish Your job of molding me perfectly into His image.