Day 210, or July 29.
Your Move.
Our thoughts today are rooted in Isaiah chapter 59, verses 1 and 2.
Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear, but
your iniquities have separated you from your God.
Your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.
Now the big picture surrounding these verses.
As Isaiah declares the coming of Messiah, he condemns the people for their sinful behavior,
which is the reason why Messiah is coming.
The future is glorious, but now is the time to turn back to your God.
Now our action step for today.
I'm sure you have seen notice-boards outside churches bearing the slogan, If you feel God
is distant, who moved?
That is exactly what Isaiah is saying to his fellow Jews, in a period when times were hard
and the future was uncertain, as invaders from the north were expected to wipe them
out in the near future.
Today in the twenty-first century I regularly hear people ask, Where was God when such and
such happened?
Why didn't God stop that happening?
The short answer that is coming to my mind more and more is, He wasn't there, because
He allowed you to ban Him or deny His existence.
It seems people are always asking for a God who will dominate and intervene, but will
not encroach on their personal freedom.
You don't need a degree in social sciences or theology to know that this is impossible.
Many in the UK have turned away from God, and the first step for them is to turn back.
When a child turns away from a parent, his or her head is often physically grasped and
turned back.
In my experience, God rarely does that.
He allows us to ignore Him.
Paul sums this up for us in Romans chapter 1, verses 24 and 25.
So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired.
They traded the truth about God for a lie.
So they worshipped and served the things God created instead of the Creator Himself.
God longs for you to turn back to Him.
Today's the day.
You may find the reading on day 21 helpful.