Enemies – December 4, 2023

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you!
Isaiah 64:1,2

Enemies

You may think you have enemies. You may be able to identify them by name, and you may be able to list the ways they threaten to harm you and your loved ones.

Wouldn’t it be nice to simply name something those enemies are afraid of and then watch them cower in fear? Wouldn’t watching them back away and stop their threats be even nicer?

The prophet Isaiah called on God to come down from heaven in such a dramatic way even the mountains would tremble, and the enemies of God’s people would feel the heat.

God chose to come down from heaven the first time in a less dramatic way with the birth of a child named Jesus.

But make no mistake, the child who grew into a man was doing everything exactly right to fight the enemies of God’s people. Sin, death, and the devil threatened him, but he stood up to those enemies, and eventually, they cowered before him.

When sin, death, and the devil threaten you, cling to the name of Jesus, your Savior. Those enemies know him and tremble.

He is coming again soon, and the second time, it will be far more dramatic. When the mountains tremble, you will not because you know that he comes to save you from your enemies.

Prayer: (Christian Worship: Hymnal – 314)
O Savior, rend the heavens wide; come down, come down with mighty stride. Unlock the gates, the doors break down; unbar the way to heaven’s crown. Amen.