January 6, 2025

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“Remember these things, O Jacob, for you are My servant, O Israel. I have made you, and you are My servant; O Israel, I will never forget you. I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.” (Isaiah 44.21-22)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

God is connected to us. He promised “I will never forget you.” (Isaiah 44.21b) Take a moment to see how He looks at us through that promise in verse 22. God said “I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud…” and “…your sins like a mist.” Certainly our transgressions and sins do not seem like that to us. We do our best to blot them out by either allowing them to become like our house slippers: comfortable, form fitting and just there or by filling our lives with activities that keep our mind so focused on something else we don’t dwell on the real issues. We must remember that Satan is the master of delusion, illusion and confusion. God does not see us in this way. Satan actually likes to put the honus on God for our problems. We see that in the story of Job. Fortunately for us, Job was not deceived, nor deluded, nor confused. His focus was laser-like on God. As you read Job’s chronicles you will even see that Job holds God responsible for all of his life. If trouble came his way, there was no one else to blame but himself. If goodness came his way, it was because of God’s blessing. There was no “Flip Wilson- the Devil made me do it” word play. Let’s take a brief look at the two realities which Isaiah heard from God on this subject.

“I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud….” Can you tell me what a cloud blocks out? I love it when people say “The sun isn’t shining” when they refer to a cloudy day. Of course, we know scientifically and practically that the sun is indeed shining. Even in the middle of the night, the sun is shining. We have the moon as the evidence for that. There will be a day when the sun will not shine but that is far down the road if we would live that long. The truth is we will live that long as we are bound for eternity. I cannot speak for the physical sun at that point. We see evidences of dying stars, exploded stars and dead stars. The same could happen to our sun. That is the force and course of nature. But, in the eternal viewpoint there are only two realities. The first is that in hell there is no sunshine only hellfire. The darkness of unrepented sin will not consume “the sun” but block out the “light of that day.” Thinking of Isaiah’s prophecy “the people who dwelt in darkness have seen a great light which the darkness cannot overcome,” I am saddened to consider the following “the day will come when the people dwelling in darkness will be overcome by it and become unable to see the light.” The second is this: in heaven, the glory of God will be so present that the light of the sun, moon and stars pale from sight. We know that experience in part on a cloudless day when the sun is high overhead. The sky is blue and there is no darkness to serve as a backdrop on which we see moon and stars. Imagine that day when even the sun will have seemed to disappear. And it may well do that as we are in the pure and full presence of God. Now consider what Isaiah repeated as the promise from God. He will have blotted out our transgressions like a cloud. We will have no points of reference to navigate our way through out troubled waters stirred up by our sins, trespasses and transgressions. We will not be lost at sea because God is our “polar star” and abiding presence. He will be our calm winds and calms seas. He will be our green pastures and still waters. He will be our hope and peace until the close of the age which never comes.

“…your sins like a mist.” I get this sense of “a mist” more like a fog. Somewhere between that cloud in the sky and that cloud on the ground, we find ourselves in the “already but not yet.” What I have come to learn about fog is that it generally is a sign of warming temperatures and clear skies. Imagine that God’s promise of remembrance, especially when it comes to our sins, is that our day will get better. The chill of death and forboding will be “burned away” and the “light of day” will become gloriously visible. It is a reassuring and comforting thought regardless of the normal temperature for the day (winter, spring, summer or fall.) What if we walked in such confidence knowing that God has promised “it will be better” and that His promises have never failed to become reality. Despite our penchant for sinning and a reticence to focus on His mercy and grace to be our sincerest provision, God still abides with us. That is another characteristic of “a mist.” It clings to us. I just had a chill and shiver run over my body thinking of such times of walking in a fog whether by the riverside or near a mountaintop. There is an old spiritual called “Wade in the Water” with a line that goes “The Jordan’s water is chilly and cold, it chills the body but thrills the soul.” Could this be what God was suggesting to “Jacob Israel” and the people of God? His promise of present forgiveness is a chilling reminder to us that sin’s consequence is death. His promise is also a thrilling reminder of the goodness and fullness of life lived with Him.

What a warming invitation that God extends to us to return in His favor. He has forgiven, blotted out our transgressions and wrapped up our sins in a mist that will dissipate and be gone leaving us to stand in a clear, new and bright day.

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, before we were conceived in the womb, You had already formed us in Your love and by Your Spirit brought us into being. Each one of us is blessed with the opportunity of doing right, being good and producing the fruit of the Spirit in order that others be fed the truth of that same love so that the two will become one. It is our soul’s sincere desire to embrace the oneness You have in mind so we would know we are Your people and You are our God. Lead us in that discovery of the truth and the manifestation of that love for us all. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.