Mark VanOuse

In my quiet time today, the Lord had me in Isaiah chapters 64 to 66. He particularly emphasized the following in Isaiah 64:

4 For since the beginning of the world
Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear,
Nor has the eye seen any God besides You,
Who acts for the one who waits for Him.
5 You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness,
Who remembers You in Your ways.
You are indeed angry, for we have sinned—
In these ways we continue;
And we need to be saved.

6 But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
We all fade as a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind,
Have taken us away.
7 And there is no one who calls on Your name,
Who stirs himself up to take hold of You;
For You have hidden Your face from us,
And have consumed us because of our iniquities.

8 But now, O LORD,
You are our Father;
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all we are the work of Your hand.

This passage really struck me today. For many years, the themes of Isaiah have deeply impacted me—strong, redemptive themes spoken to a nation that was so hardened toward God and had turned its back on Him so many times. And they were facing the awful consequences of such idolatry and sin.

The voice of God through His prophet Isaiah is like a bright shaft of light piercing the blackest darkness! And though there was prophecy of the doom that was yet to befall the nation, God was also speaking of a new day—and beyond that, the Messiah to come.

Here in Isaiah 64, in these verses that I’ve cited above, I catch something of the heart of God for those who truly seek Him.

Finding Him as:

For since the beginning of the world
Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear,
Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, (verse 4)

Our God is truly the only God. There is absolutely no other. And His infinite nature far exceeds anything we can comprehend, whether by ear or eye. And yet, He reveals Himself!

Romans 1 declares:

19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, (Romans 1:19-20)

And then there are those of us who have a profoundly deep hunger for Him! We long for the One described in these words: “perceived by the ear” and “the eye seen any God besides You” (Isaiah 64:4)…

Yet He is the One:

who acts for the one who waits for Him! (verse 4b).

Isn’t that incredible? The almighty, wonderful, glorious, infinite God is the One who acts on behalf of those who wait for and seek Him. And the passage goes on to add:

5 You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness,
Who remembers You in Your ways.

Notice the emphasis on remembering God Himself and His ways! These are those who have a singular focus on remembering, seeking, and waiting upon God Himself. They are not happy with anything less than HIM. They deeply long for God. The psalmist expresses this so well:

1 As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:1–2)

And yet, the stain of our sin that so reproaches God is found even among those who seek Him:

You are indeed angry, for we have sinned—
In these ways we continue (Isaiah 64:5b)

And we need to be saved! This is deeply personal. We can no longer “point our finger” at someone else. The “none righteous”, “none who understands”, “none who seeks after God”, “they have all turned aside” of Romans 3:10–12 applies to me.

And that is why the rest of Isaiah 64:5 cries out:

And we need to be saved.

And that is why it says in verses 6 and 7:

6 But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
We all fade as a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind,
Have taken us away.
7 And there is no one who calls on Your name,
Who stirs himself up to take hold of You;
For You have hidden Your face from us,
And have consumed us because of our iniquities.

And yet, as God surely still reaches out to us, in all of our sin and undoneness, so we reach out to Him, by His Grace:

8 But now, O LORD,
You are our Father;
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all we are the work of Your hand.
9 Do not be furious, O LORD,
Nor remember iniquity forever;
Indeed, please look—we all are Your people! (Isaiah 64:8-9)

God is indeed our Father! It is He who fashions us, by His hand, for “We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of YOUR hand.” (verse 8b)

Listen to God’s heart, as Isaiah concludes:

12 For thus says the LORD:

“Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river,
And the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream.
Then you shall feed;
On her sides shall you be carried,
And be dandled on her knees.
13 As one whom his mother comforts,
So I will comfort you;
And you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 66:12-13)

October 21, 2026, 9:15 AM — MDV