Isaiah 64: 1 – 4
Oh, that you would rip open the heavens and come down. Mountains then would quake because of your presence. As fire ignites stubble and as fire makes water boil, make your name known to your adversaries. Then nations would quake in your presence. You did amazing things that we did not expect. You came down. Mountains quaked because of your presence. From ancient times, no one has heard. No ear has understood. No eye has seen any god except you, who goes into action for the one who waits for him.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We go through our lives knowing everything we have done wrong, along with all the challenges the world piles upon us. This often feels overwhelming, and we look for extreme relief, like having heaven torn open. You did that when Your Son, Jesus, was baptized and heaven was ripped open. He linked Himself to our sins. Then, Jesus lived a perfect life for us and went to the cross to defeat the sins that divide all people from You. Our sins made us Your enemies.
You are a Holy, perfect God; no sinful being can survive in Your presence. So Jesus willingly became part of the creation—He made with you—so that Your just anger would be leveled against Him. He came veiled in human flesh because, as Isaiah wrote, even the mountains shake at your presence. When Jesus came to earth, he did something no one expected: he set aside all the glory of heaven to serve us by taking our punishment into himself. By human wisdom, it does not make sense why He would endure our punishment, but Your perfect love for us is beyond what we can understand.
For all who reject You and Your word, they reject not only You but also Your love and mercy. So, we ask that you strengthen our faith to hold on to our Savior. For the Old Testament believers, their faith was in a Savior who would come; for us, it is trusting in the One who has come—Jesus. He was true God and man who came to earth to save us. So that all who believe in Him will not perish in Hell but have eternal life and salvation.
We ask that you allow us to share the good news of forgiveness with those who do not know you so that they, too, will have eternal life and salvation because heaven was ripped open for all to believe. Amen.
Written through Pastor Roger Emmons
God’s love is astounding: He went into action by coming to earth to restore us to Himself by suffering and dying on the cross for you—so that you will have eternal life.