Awaken and Take Hold of the Lord

There is no one who calls upon your name,
who rouses himself to take hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us,
and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities.

But now, O Lord, you are our Father;
we are the clay, and you are our potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
Be not so terribly angry, O Lord,
and remember not iniquity forever.
Behold, please look, we are all your people. ((The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Is 64:7–9.))

I was struck with the language of this familiar passage this morning. I had to ask myself, “do I rouse myself to take hold of the Lord?” I’m afraid I do not.

We, as God’s people, are being summoned by this passage to awaken and cling to God; to embrace His presence each morning. If you are like me, this is not a regular occurrence. Instead, we awaken to the beckoning of our phones, email, social networks, and news feeds. We awaken to wonder what the world has been saying about us and about our situations. Our first thoughts are not about the Lord, but about ourselves.

Praise be to God that, although we fail time and time again to embrace God as our first and foremost thought each day, He is gracious and will forgive our selfish behaviour. He is patiently working on us, shaping us and making us into beautiful vessels for His glory. Commit yourself in this moment to allow God to continue this process of reshaping, and pray for an increased desire to awaken each day and take hold of the Lord.