Isaiah 64:1-7 - Prayer and divine intervention

In Isaiah 63:15-19, the prophet yearned for God to intervene in their plight. He refused to accommodate the thought that God would ignore them forever. For he knew that in  His covenant faithfulness and loyalty, God, their Father, and Redeemer would not leave them unattended.  So he pleaded with Him to intervene and show concern for them.

In Isaiah 64:1-7, the prophet had another yearning. He yearned for the presence of God. We see in the phrase “at your presence” mentioned three times in the first three verses of the chapter. Isaiah knew that the presence of God would make the telling difference. He illustrated the impact by saying that God’s presence would cause the mountain to quake and brushwood to be kindled like fire to boil water. Isaiah was basically saying that God’s presence would bring about seismic changes in the circumstances of the people and the world. He was sure that in His presence, nations would be shaken up and His name would be recognized. He was confident that at God’s presence, people would be converted to become believers and worshipers.     

Verses 4-9 tell us that from experience there was no one apart from God who would be so compassionate to respond to the plea of the people. Isaiah was sure that God would act on the behalf of those who trust Him and who desire to live righteously according to His prescribed ways. There is no question about Good’s compassion and His ability to save, but we cannot say the same about human desire. When a man is steeped in sin and his heart hardens, he will persist nonchalantly in his waywardness. Man will persist in wickedness and cause God to be hidden from him.

Isaiah knew better. He was confident that prayer would make the difference. In Isaiah 62:7, we saw him committing to give himself no rest until God’s praise be established in Jerusalem. And in Isaiah 62:1, he said:

“For Zion’s sake, I will not keep silent,
And for Jerusalem’s sake, I will not keep quiet,
Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness,
And her salvation like a torch that is burning.”  

What about us? For the sake of the church, the salvation of the world, and the establishment of God’s Kingdom, can we afford to stay quiet and not pray? Unless God’s presence breaks into our circumstances, there can never be changes. And unless we commit to pray earnestly, revival will continue to tarry. If we want to see a revival, let us commit to pray for our families, our church, and our nation!