His Hand is Lifted High!


My soul yearns for you in the night;
in the morning my spirit longs for you.
When your judgments come upon the earth,
the people of the world learn righteousness.


Though grace is shown to the wicked,
they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil
and regard not the majesty of the LORD.


O LORD, your hand is lifted high,
but they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame;
let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them.

Isaiah 26:9-11

Even if you are driving a little past the speed limit when you spot a policeman there is that “Oh I hope he didn’t see me” feeling. Then when you look in the rear-view mirror and he pulls out and turns on the lights, a deep, “pit of your stomach” heaviness engulfs you! As you pull over to the side of the road you hear the siren and the cop speeds past you on his way to a more serious emergency! What a relief! You were clearly guilty and you knew it, but somehow you escaped arrest and the judgment that would have followed.

Today the world and many Christians are driving much faster than the speed limit. Breaking laws has become a tradition which seems to be without consequence. As it says in Isaiah 26:10, “even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the LORD.” When terror strikes and tragedy once again consumes us the people of the world learn righteousness, but the wicked ignore the hand of the Lord!

The hand of the Lord is lifted high! He is prepared to show mercy to those who turn to Him or bring judgment on those who refuse! We are like the woman who is in heavy labor deciding to wait another week to have the baby. There is no waiting. The world is being consumed with wickedness. Lord, show your zeal for your people!