God is Determined

Scripture:  Isaiah 64:5-9

So, how is determination related to this passage from Isaiah?  The verses are part of a subsection (chapters 63-64) that recalls the mercy of God, the confession of sin by His people, and their appeal for pardon and restoration.  Specifically, verses 5-9 read as follows in the New Living Translation:

You welcome those who gladly do good, who follow godly ways.
But you have been very angry with us, for we are not godly.
We are constant sinners;  how can people like us be saved?

We are all infected and impure with sin.
When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.
Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

Yet no one calls on your name or pleads with you for mercy.
Therefore, you have turned away from us and turned us over to our sins.

And yet, O Lord, you are our Father.
We are the clay, and you are the potter.
We all are formed by your hand.

Don't be so angry with us, Lord.
Please don't remember our sins forever.
Look at us, we pray, and see that we are all your people.

Obviously, these verses contain much evidence of our need for salvation:

- we are constant sinners
- we are all infected with sin
- no one calls on God

...and asks directly the obvious question:  how can we be saved?  The obvious answer:  by God.  Nothing in these verses speaks of how we can save ourselves, which is where the determination comes in.  No matter how determined we may be (as determined as, say, a Black Friday shopper in search of a good deal), we are powerless to save ourselves.  That can only be accomplished by the Christ child of Christmas, who becomes the sacrificial Lamb of Easter that suffers and dies for our transgressions.

Let God transform you through the sacrificial death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.  Put your faith in Him and you will be saved.

To read today's devotional, click here.