“Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” - Isaiah 64:4
In all the history of the world, with all the gods that people have set up and relied upon, none of them have proved to be able to act for the supplicant. All of them have proved themselves deaf – though the worshipper waited upon them with baited breath.
But our God is a god who acts when people call on him – when people rely whole heartedly on him and wait patiently for his answer.
Waiting patiently for him doesn’t mean passivity, it means perseverance. It means taking requests to him again and again. It means wrestling like Jacob with God until his blessing is received.
It also means, like Jacob, accepting that the blessing is bigger than temporal comforts – the blessing may come with a sore hip! Our God knows what is good for us. He knows exactly what we need – as individuals and as a church.
Isaiah reminds us to look to our God who is unlike any other for help; for answers; and for blessing. Riverside will need these three this year. We exist that God’s glory may be seen on earth, that his kingdom may come and, on earth, his will be done.
If we will advance our vision for sharing his glory with people we will need his daily help; we will need him to prosper us; in short, we will need to wait upon our God who acts on our behalf. Let’s be confident this year in prayer - in the sure and certain knowledge that no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides our God who acts on behalf of those who wait for him!
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