Isaiah 63:10-14 – The principle of cause and effect

Even in God’s chastening His compassion can be experienced. This was how we see in the history of His dealing with Israel. He did not allow His people to be annihilated. In compassion, He came to their rescue to prevent them from being overwhelmed by a sense of hopelessness. Yes, He was angry for their rebelliousness and would use their enemies to punish them, yet He would place a limit to what the enemies could do. He came to their rescue when His goal for chastening His people was met. God loves us far too much to leave us as we are. And He is always in the process of transforming and refining us. He knows best what is good for us.

In Isaiah 63:10-14 we see the message that without God, it will be difficult to survive the troubles that confront us. The important question that we should ask when are besieged by trouble is “where is He (God)?” This was the same question the people of Israel asked in a predicament. They remembered what God did to help their forefathers out of their bondage, sorrow, and night. They recalled that for HIs own name, God was the One who had led them out of the Red Sea, placed His Holy Spirit in their midst to guide them, and saw them through the journey. So now in their plight, the obvious question to ask should be where is God? Asking this question also helped them to see how far they had strayed from their loving God.  

We must also remember the law of cause and effect. Every action, good or bad, will elicit a consequence. Whether we walk or fail to walk, in obedience there will always be an effect. So if we don’t like the fruit we are reaping, we must check the seed we are sowing. The question “where is God”, which the people of Israel asked, should be the same one we must ask when we are overwhelmed by our circumstances. It will help us to trace the thing that we have done or fail to do that led to the situation where we cannot even feel His presence. The tough circumstances we encounter are often a condition of our own making. When we fail to live obediently, God will use the hardship we experience to call us to attention to our waywardness. He does it not to crush us but to redirect us. Invariably, when we analyze the cause of our tough times, it always leads us to realize how far we have strayed from God. When we are in a predicament, wisdom dictates that we tackle the root cause not the effect. Always return to God for He is always there waiting for us!