Come on Down

Have you ever wished God would come down and straighten things out on this mixed up earth? That he would put an end to cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and depression? That he would stop abortion, child abuse, poverty, and divorce? That he would end the strife between races and heal all the divisions in the church?

Have you ever cried out to God on behalf of our nation? Have you urged him to come down and clean house—straighten out our government, wipe away the smut from our media, and take away the threat of terrorism? Have you wished he would fix a shattered relationship or mend a place of brokenness in your life?

The prophet Isaiah cried out to the Lord and said, "Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you!" (Isaiah 64:1). "Come down," the prophet urged, "to make your name known" (v. 2). What might happen if the Lord were to rip open the heavens and "come down" to earth?

When the Lord comes down, he does the unexpected. "For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down . . ." (v. 3). Our all-knowing Lord is never surprised, but he sometimes surprises us with "awesome things we do not expect."

Abraham and Sarah didn't expect to have a baby in their old age, but they did. No one expected Saul of Tarsus to become a missionary for Jesus, but he did. Jesus' disciples didn't expect him to rise again after he died on the cross, but he did.

The Lord works through unexpected circumstances.

Have you ever learned any important lessons through unexpected circumstances? Maybe on your wedding day you expected to live happily ever after, and then discovered that marriage is harder than you anticipated. You looked forward to having children, but then struggled with infertility—or your sick child cried through the night and you thought, "This isn't what I had in mind." You excitedly began a new job, but after several weeks you wondered, "Okay, when does the fun start?" Perhaps you expected to retire with a comfortable nest-egg, but health problems and a slumping economy shattered your dreams.

Life is unpredictable. That's why we need to trust the Lord in uncertain times. When he "comes down," he brings unexpected blessings. "No one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him" (v. 4).

It's also important to remember that when the Lord comes down, he deals with sin—either by judging it or forgiving it. "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away" (v. 6). Thankfully, the Messiah "was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).

The Old Testament prophet cried out, "Lord, come on down!" But the New Testament reveals that God has come down. He came down from Heaven's throne to a manger and to the humble home of a carpenter. He came down to the agony of Gethsemane and the pain of the cross. He came down to be the "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). He came down "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14), assuring us that one day he will wipe every tear from our eyes.

He came down to lift us up.