April 4th - Reflection

Isaiah 59:9-19 (NRSV)
The blindness of injustice

Therefore justice is far from us,
and righteousness does not reach us;
we wait for light, and lo! there is darkness;
and for brightness, but we walk in gloom.
We grope like the blind along a wall,
groping like those who have no eyes;
we stumble at noon as in the twilight,
among the vigorous as though we were dead.
We all growl like bears;
like doves we moan mournfully.
We wait for justice, but there is none;
for salvation, but it is far from us.
For our transgressions before you are many,
and our sins testify against us.
Our transgressions indeed are with us,
and we know our iniquities:
transgressing, and denying the Lord,
and turning away from following our God,

talking oppression and revolt,
conceiving lying words and uttering them from the heart.
Justice is turned back,
and righteousness stands at a distance;
for truth stumbles in the public square,
and uprightness cannot enter.
Truth is lacking,
and whoever turns from evil is despoiled.

The Lord saw it, and it displeased him
that there was no justice.
He saw that there was no one,
and was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so his own arm brought him victory,
and his righteousness upheld him.
He put on righteousness like a breastplate,
and a helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,
and wrapped himself in fury as in a mantle.
According to their deeds, so will he repay;
wrath to his adversaries, requital to his enemies;
to the coastlands he will render requital.
So those in the west shall fear the name of the Lord,
and those in the east, his glory;
for he will come like a pent-up stream
that the wind of the Lord drives on.

Reflection
We can get ourselves so separated from God. We are in such darkness of sin the best we can do is to grope for the wall and follow the wall. We stumble in our sin and bump into one another. Complete confusion. All our own doing, this was not the intentions of God when we were created. We did this to ourselves and can't get out of it.

God saw us and with a loving and compassionate heart, God sent Jesus as flesh and blood into the midst of our darkness and chaos. Jesus came to all of us and each of us and gave us the Light to follow and the way to salvation from sin, death, and our sinful selves.

Oh, how God came! Like a pent-up stream and a driven wind. Came like a warrior ready for battle. Came to our rescue. Thanks be to God!

Prayer
Lord, thanks for giving your Light and you Way for me to follow out of this darkness I have gotten myself into. I want to be your disciple and follow in your way. Show me how. Teach me. Walk with me. --- Amen