Isaiah 29:16-19
16
You turn things upside down!
Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,
that the thing made should say of its maker,
“He did not make me”;
or the thing formed say of him who formed it,
“He has no understanding”?
17
Is it not yet a very little while
until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field,
and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest?
18
In that day the deaf shall hear
the words of a book,
and out of their gloom and darkness
the eyes of the blind shall see.
19
The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord,
and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.
In our day the world is upside down. The meanings of words are being changed. Truth is molded like silly putty. Cities suffer daily violence. Our borders are in chaos. Leaders are unable, or worse, unwilling to help. It is easy to feel angry, and after that, feel hopeless over the state of the world. Is there an answer?
Yes. The answer to our upside down world is the Lord. When people try to take God’s place, the worst happens. This is clear from the condition of the world. As further proof of this, we have history as it is recorded in the Bible. When Israel’s leaders tried to take God’s place, the country suffered terribly.
Like clay telling a potter what to do, people who ignore the revealed law of God cause their own misery. But, God who is rich in mercy has had pity on our condition and sent Jesus to save us. Jesus, who offered Himself on the cross for our sins, calls us to repent of all unbelief and acknowledge the Lord. In the scriptures God tells us not only what to do and not to do, but also what He has done to save us. God is gracious, therefore, faith in God is our one great hope.
As upside down and miserable as the world is becoming, God is still the potter. He is merciful and continues to supply His Word and truth through the Holy Scriptures. Through faith, we receive God’s gifts in Jesus. God opens His Word to us so that His Will for us can again be in our daily lives. God shows us that because Jesus is risen from the dead, there is the perfect life yet to come at the restoration of all things. We trust in the Lord. He is directs human history according to His Gracious purposes in Jesus. We confess, God is the potter. Amen
Let us pray
I thank you Lord for all that you have made. Please forgive my sins and grant me faith to trust in you alone. As you have made all things, I look forward to the day when you restore all things as you have promised. I thank you for restoring me and in my baptism giving me your gifts. In your name I pray, Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come,Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.