The Lord Longs To Be Gracious To You

“Woe to the obstinate children,” declares the Lord, “to those who carry out plans that are not mine,

forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin;

who go down to Egypt without consulting me; who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection, to Egypt’s shade for refuge.

But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame, Egypt’s shade will bring you disgrace.

Though they have officials in Zoan and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,

everyone will be put to shame because of a people useless to them, who bring neither help nor advantage, but only shame and disgrace.”

Isaiah 30: 1-5

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you.

Isaiah 30:18-19

Being frightened is a fun game until the day when a child experiences a real scare. Then it is no laughing matter. The first real scare often involves separation from a parent. The child wanders away innocently, moving from one attraction to another. But as soon as the child realizes they are lost, they panic and let out a loud cry of alarm. The parent immediately comes running to reassure the child that they are not alone.

As we get older, some of us take bigger risks. We may wander from the One who loves and cares for us. Recognizing we are in danger, we panic. Our call for help does not require sophisticated words or a well-reasoned defense. Just a desperate cry.

Like a loving parent, God responds quickly for He longs to have us live in the protection of His love where we need never be afraid.

Trusting God’s faithfulness helps dispel our fearfulness.

Our Daily Bread – March6, 2014