How do you pray? What does your prayer life look like? What are your habits, instinct and priorities in prayer?How would you describe your prayer life? What are some agenda that always shows up?
Who taught you how to pray? Who are some good role models that you have for yourself in prayer? Have you enrolled yourself in the school of prayer?
We learn to pray by imitation, the same way we learn how to do everything else. Much of the Christian life is like this — we grow and learn by imitation.
We can also look to people like Moses, David, Nehemiah. But here, in Isaiah, we can use Isaiah’s prayer as an example of how we can pray. Isaiah gives us at least 3 things to think about prayer.
(A) Pray for God to act and reveal Himself (isa 64:1-4)
The prophet begins his prayer by praying that God would rend the heavens and come down, and with His arrival, the mountains quake at His presence (Isa 64:1a). In his description, he is also helping us to see what happens when God comes down. Isaiah is specifically praying that God comes in power. In Isaiah 64:2, we see that Isaiah also desires that the nations tremble at God’s presence.
Isaiah prays that the nations will know that God is God. This is a Christian’s prayer. He is one who is thinking about the glory of God and desires that God be glorified among those who do not know Him!
To what extent? Isaiah uses the picture of a fire kindling brushwood and the kind of fire that causes water to boil (Isa 64:2a). This is not a small fire, but is one that is glorious. This is not unfamiliar language and we have seen God appear in fire and smoke before. This was the case in Exodus 19, when God’s own presence came and filled the mountain.
Isaiah alludes to the Exodus, the visitation by God at Mt Sinai (Isa 64:3-4). Isaiah is asking God to do what He did at Sinai, but with a twist. Then, it was for Israel to know Him. Now, it is for the nations to know Him.
Notice how Isaiah did not ask God to do a new and fresh thing? He prays on the basis of the Old Testament, and asks God to as He did previously. He asks God on the basis on His revelation.
Have you desired to see God work His wonders in our day? Do you want to see Him act in our day, in your life? The best thing you can do to seek Him and yearn for Him is to know Him on the terms of Scripture, and pray Scripture into our day. We, too can pray Isaiah 64:1-2 and ask God to do a new Exodus in our day.
This is a right and good thing to pray. Is our heart and are our priorities tutored by Scripture?
In 1 Corinthians 2:6-9, we see Paul quote Isaiah 64. He is saying that just as Isaiah urged the people to wait on the Lord for vindication, Paul is also urging the people to wait, and God will act to reveal His glory. We too, like in Corinthians, like in Isaiah’s day and like in Moses’ day, wait on God to fulfil all that He has promised. We still feel it keenly in our day and we know that all is not right in our world. It can also be tempting for us to wait as though we have no hope, and give up waiting. But 1 Corinthians 2 and Isaiah 64 tell us that the way to wait prayerfully is to cling to the promises of God. If you are tired of waiting on God and just can’t wait any more, hang on and wait on the Lord. He acts on those who wait for Him.
(B) Pray about the spiritual and lived impact of our sin (Isa 64:5-7)
The prophet describes two types of people in relation to God to call to mind something of God’s character. The first group are those who joyfully work righteousness (horizontal) and remember God in their ways (vertical) (Isa 64:5a). In contrast, the second group are those who sinned and have been in sin for a long time (Isa 64:5b).
And from both groups, we see something of God’s character. God meets the first group, and is angry towards the second group.
Here, the prophet also helps us understand what God is like, after praying for God to come. He is helping us to understand the righteousness and God-ness of God. He cannot abide by sin. This is why when He comes down, mountains quake. This is why the Bible often uses the picture of God as an all-consuming fire.
Isaiah also helps us learn about God’s people and their spiritual condition before God through three absolute statements in Isaiah 64:6-7. Firstly, we have all become like one who is unclean (Isa 64:6a). Our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. The best thing we do are like dirty clothes that we can’t get stains out of.
Secondly, we all fade like a leaf and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away (Isa 64:6b). Scripture clearly connects sin and death. Our lives are truly like a breath and we are not immortal.
Finally, we see that no one calls upon His name and no one rouses himself to take hold of God (Isa 64:7). In truth, we don’t want God. We do not want to live under His righteous rule. We would rather run our own life. This is how deep our sin is. We don’t want God, but we want what He can give us. And so, we melt in the hands of our iniquities (Isa 64:7b).
Seeing the holiness of God and praying for His presence leads naturally to praying and admitting sin. It is only those who do not know God that will speak of their sin with casualness or delude themselves into thinking they are ok. Christians are the first to know that their sins are real before a holy God.
Where do you go to be reminded of your need for Christ? Who do you go to to speak about your sin?
We have a God who invites us into His presence and admit our sin. He knows who we are, and we can also agree with God about who we are. Only this person can delight and glory in the gospel. To put it another way, if you find the gospel boring year on year, it’s probably because you don’t understand yourself or are developing a coping mechanism and thinking that the problem is Him, not us. Do you realise you need a Saviour? Do you realise that He is still saving you? This is what causes us to keep turning back to Him every moment. This is the real need of our heart, for we cannot save ourselves and all our righteous deeds are like polluted garments. We still need His robes of righteousness and keep moving towards the Lord Jesus.
Seeing our sin also helps us to see that we need a Saviour! And this also affects our prayer. Pray about the spiritual and lived impact of our sin.
(C) Pray for the Father’s pardon and mercy on His people (Isa 64:8-12)
Isaiah begins this final section of his prayer by calling to mind how God is our Father, a product of Him like a clay is in the hands of the potter (Isa 64:8a).Did God forget? Isaiah shows us how we need to repeat truths, say them out loud, and make them the basis of our prayer. His fatherhood is important in this prayer, as Isaiah goes on to plead with God to look and not be angry. He is imploring God on the basis of His covenantal promise (Isa 64:9). They may not have acted like it, but they are still God’s.
Do you hear the passion here? When was the last time you prayed like this? Praying like this underscores for our own hearts and consciences whose we truly are!
This picture of fatherhood, ownership and belonging is not new, for Isaiah had previously mentioned it in Isaiah 63:16-19. It was also the basis of Moses’ prayer in Exodus 32:11-13, prayed after the people made the Golden Calf. Moses pleads with God and seeks His forgiveness after their idolatry and disobedience. He pleads on behalf of God’s covenantal promise and begs that God does not give up on them and His promises. The structure of the prayer in Exodus 32 is similar to Isaiah’s prayer in Isaiah 64. Isaiah is not making things up and is seeing himself as another kind of Moses who makes intercession on behalf of a sinful people.
Isaiah elaborates on his request by pointing out to God that the cities of Israel has become desolate and unpopulated (Isa 64:10). Even Zion has become a wilderness, and the temple has been destroyed (Isa 64:10-11). Isaiah recaps and rehearses the current state of spiritual misery. He pleads with God to restrain Himself no longer and to act by speaking (Isa 64:12). Isaiah wants God’s word, His voice to be heard in the land again. He associates salvation with the word of God.
What do you see from Isaiah’s prayer that is similar with your prayer life? Do you pray for God to act and reveal Himself? Do you pray about the spiritual and lived impact of our sin? Do you pray for the Father’s pardon and mercy on His people?
We can fill in the gap where Isaiah only saw shadows. We have seen how God has rend the heaven, to come as the Son of Man. He has already come to deal wit the spiritual and lived impact of our sin, taking it upon Himself. In His life, death and resurrection, He has also shown the Father’s mercy, making it possible to become a child of God, born not of flesh but of the Spirit. We can name Him and cry out to Jesus. We can make Him the subject, object, foundation and end of our prayer. This is what Isaiah was unable to do.
How does Isaiah’s prayer shape your prayer and prayer priorities?