Ep 804 – Isaiah 30:18-33

Judging the presence of God based on the condition of our current circumstances doesn't always produce accurate results. Sometimes, our situation may give the impression that God is nowhere to be found. But, in time, we come to realize that He was there all along. What appeared to be a lack of His presence was simply a deficiency in our faith. There are times when God allows His people to experience the pain of brokenness so that He might pour out His love and bind up their wounds. In Isaiah 30:18-33 God calls out to His people, begging them to return to Him so that He might restore them. He longs to pour out His compassion and shower them with His blessings. But time and time again, the people of Judah had revealed the hardness of their hearts and the stubbornness of their dispositions. Yet, God was and is patient. He has a long-term strategy that entails both their discipline and their blessing. He was going to punish them, but the day was coming when He would restore them. They had brought down His judgment upon themselves. But the day is coming when He will bind up the broken.