We think we can appease God with our words, but God knows and sees our hearts.
Isaiah 29:13
The Lord says:
“These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is made up only of rules taught by men.
So, the religions of the world. Rules on rules. As the prophet Isaiah says: “Do and do.”
Like a vending machine, God, I give you what you want, and then I can do what I want.
Isaiah 29:15-16
15 Woe to those who go to great depths
to hide their plans from the Lord,
who do their work in darkness and think,
“Who sees us? Who will know?”
16 You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!
Shall what is formed say to him who formed it,
“He did not make me”?
Can the pot say of the potter,
“He knows nothing”?
We think we are so clever.
But we are not living in reality. God is the maker. God knows and sees all things. God knows our hearts.
We can’t appease God. He is not one to be manipulated.
We forget that we are people; we have personhood because we are made in His image.
God does not want to be appeased. We do stuff so we can control God. Get what we want and live with the assurance that we have God figured out. So we can manipulate Him.
God is on another level.
Isaiah 29:16
You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!
Shall what is formed say to him who formed it,
“He did not make me”?
Can the pot say of the potter,
“He knows nothing”?
Father, why are we so arrogant? Help us come to you as a person. To desire to know you. To love you. To appreciate you for who you are. To live in the reality of You being Creator God. And come to appreciate your love, mercy, and grace fully. Not trying to manipulate you but to know you and truly follow you.
Oh, how patient you are not to have been done with all of us long ago.
Merciful, gracious Father, may we come to know and love You.
