This post is part of my 31 day journey through Andrew Murray's devotional treatise, "Waiting on God". You can find my reasons for this journey at this link.
Isaiah 8:17 - I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.
Andrew Murray: "Here we have a servant of God, waiting upon Him, not on behalf of himself, but of his people, from whom God was hiding his face. It suggests to us how our waiting upon God, though it commences with our personal needs, with the desire for the revelation of Himself, or of the answer to personal petitions, need not, may not, stop there. We may be walking in the full light of God's countenance, and God yet be hiding His face from His people around us; far from our being content to think that this is nothing but the just punishment of their sin, or the consequence of their indifference, we are called with tender hearts to think of their sad estate, and to wait on God on their behalf. The privilege of waiting upon God is one that brings great responsibility. Even as Christ, when He entered God's presence, at once used His place of privilege and honor as intercessor, so we, no less, if we know what it is really to enter in and wait upon God, must use our access for our less favored brethren."
Two things:
- Boy, am I selfish. I might be the only bulb glowing, at a particular point in time, but I am focused on myself, and others who might be in my sphere. For example, I pray continually for my pastor, but I must confess, I don't think I have ever uttered a prayer for the person in the pew next to me.
- God hiding his face is an interesting thing to consider. When I was walking in full fledged money worship, did God hide his face from me, or did I simply walk away from him? Can I walk away from him? When I turned the corner, was that me coming back to God, or was that God shining his face back on me? Is the answer to all these questions: yes?
What do you think? Are you as selfish as me? What does it mean to have God hide his face from you?
