After a serious tongue-lashing on those who persisted in their rebellion against him, God here shows his mercy to those who humbled themselves before him.
He said,
“Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.” (Isaiah 57:14)
Here God seems to be predicting the return of Israel from exile in Babylon. And he says “Prepare the road for their return. Remove the things that would hinder them.”
God would eventually pave the road for their return, turning the heart of Cyrus so that he would allow Israel to return to their own land.
But God could also be talking here about removing the spiritual obstacles that would keep his people from returning to him. And as with Israel’s return from exile, the removal of obstacles was done by God himself.
He didn’t wait for us to become righteous. Rather, he sent his Son to die for our sins that we could be forgiven.
What is our part? To repent of our sins and humble ourselves before him. To those who do, God says,
I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.
I will not accuse forever, nor will I always be angry, for then the spirit of man would grow faint before me – the breath of man that I have created.
I was enraged by his sinful greed; I punished him, and hid my face in anger, yet he kept on in his willful ways.
I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him, creating praise on the lips of the mourners in Israel.
Peace, peace, to those far and near,” says the Lord. “And I will heal them.” (Isaiah 57:15-19)
“I will not accuse forever, nor will I always be angry.”
I love these words. So many times, people live in fear of God, thinking that he’s just waiting to zap us for every sin we commit.
But if we humble ourselves before him, he is quick to forgive. He will guide us in the path of righteousness, comfort us in our brokenness, and heal our wounds.
The result? Peace.
But as I mentioned in my last blog, so many people don’t have peace in their lives because although they see the fruitlessness of their ways, they persist in doing things their own way.
They harden their hearts toward God, and refuse to repent.
God says of them,
But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.” (20-21)
How about you? Do you have peace in your life? Do you have the peace that comes from knowing that God has forgiven your sins? That he is no longer angry at you?
And do you know the peace of God that comes from humbling yourself before him, with a repentant heart. With a heart that lets go of “my way,” and clings to his.
That’s where the road to peace lies.
What path are you on?
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 