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.