December 11 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

The Prince of Peace, the Son of David, was announced by Isaiah. The story of his coming was proclaimed by the evangelists, each with a different emphasis. Jesus made God's kingship real in this world. Today, the kingdom is here—and it is coming.

Bible Reading:

Isaiah 63:15–64:1

Bible Text:

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down (Isa. 64:1).

Devotional:

All of us may face situations in which we beg God to come down and do something. I have known people who suffered for months or years in concentration camps. These words from Isaiah became their daily cry: "Please, Lord, rend the heavens and come down!"

People who watch a loved one slowly die may cry out these words too. Day after day they sit by the bedside saying, "Unless God does a miracle ... unless God rends the heavens.... Please, God, do it."

Sometimes we have to watch loved ones turn their back on the Lord. Gradually they grow indifferent, less receptive, more hardened. Then we who know what is at stake kneel to pray: "Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down."

God always answers our prayers —but not always in the way we expect or request.

In chapter 64 Isaiah records the prayer of someone crying in the night. The future of God's people in the world seems hopeless. They have lost the truth and the way. They have lost their freedom. The center of their religion, the temple itself, has been destroyed. And God's own house is being trampled by the dogs. How can God stand by any longer? "Please, God, come down, as you did in the days when Sinai trembled and the nations quaked."

Then God did come down—but in a way quite different from what people expected. He came as a baby to Bethlehem.

Today we must cry again. We need his second coming.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.