Today’s Reading Isaiah 64-66; 2 Corinthians 2
God’s plans do not typically line up with our plans. The timing of God’s influence or intervention does not always align with our needs, wants, or desires.
Isaiah in verse 64 asks God 1 Oh that you would rend the heavens! That you would come down! That the mountain might shake at your presence – 2 As fire burns brushwood, As fire causes water to boil – To make Your name known to Your adversaries, That the nations may tremble at Your presence!
We see sin, sadness, tragedy, and calamities in our world. Watching the news each day reminds us of that our world is broken.
For many, witnessing sin and evil causes them to question whether there is a God. If there is a God, why would He let bad things happen to us? How can God be a loving God to let so many awful things happen? Why do tragic accidents happen? Why do children get sick, and sometimes die? Why are innocent people hurt and even murdered?
We must go back to the beginning of the Bible to understand the very basic but profound way God created us and the earth. In Genesis 1:26-28, God delegated the power and authority to govern over all things to man. Fast forward to Genesis 3, we learned of Adam and Eve’s sin against God and they “suddenly felt shame.” In that moment in time, humankind rebelled against God’s wishes for us. God created us to be sinless and perfect, but Adam and Eve changed that with the decision to eat the forbidden fruit.
In that moment of the first sin, God established a relationship with man that was sovereign, meaning He will allow us to make our own choices and not force His will on us. God is not a micromanager.
So perhaps we want God to intervene. Perhaps we pray to God to make a wish happen. Heal a sick relative. Solve a difficult problem in a relationship. Or fix something that seems irrevocably broken. Please God, bring about retribution and pain to the people that have done wrong to me!
As much as we want to understand how God thinks and works, He has been consistent and true since creation. He has allowed us to make our own choices and never promised a sinless world. Man created the sin, not God.
God is there for us. He will answer our prayers, in His time, not ours. Refer to Psalm 86:7, Isaiah 58:9, or Jeremiah 33:3. God’s timing, not ours.
