When Marcus Aurelius was emperor of Rome, from 161-180, it was illegal to be a Christian. Although he has a reputation of being a wise and just philosopher-king, Christians suffered many sorts of brutal persecutions under his rule, including many who died. There’s a fascinating story though, recorded by some early church fathers and historians. Marcus Aurelius was with the army on the campaign trail as he often was, fighting against the barbarians who threatened the empire’s borders. But since the terrain they were in was unfamiliar, they ended up cut off from their supplies and in drought conditions the soldiers became weak and were dying of thirst. And what’s more, they were caught in a tactical trap, with the barbarian army surrounding them and preparing to attack. They prayed to the pagan gods of Rome to help them in some way, but there was no answer. But then a few bold men came forward. They told the emperor that they were Christians, and they asked his permission to pray to Jesus on behalf of the army. Other secret Christians came forward and joined them in their prayer, and as they finished praying it began to rain on the parched soldiers. And not only that, but outside their encampment where the barbarians were preparing their attack, the gentle rain turned into a deadly storm with hail, so vicious that the barbarians began to scatter and flee. That legion, which became known as “The Thundering Legion” was saved that day.
It’s a great story. Is it true?
We all enjoy stories like that. It’s a dramatic tale. It’s about something wondrous that you don’t see every day. As Christians, we believe that God does hear our prayers and has the power to step in to save his people. And yet even we might look at a story like this with skepticism. Maybe it’s true. Maybe it happened just like that. Or maybe it’s been embellished and exaggerated, just a bit. In this life we probably can’t know for sure.
Why is it that we have our doubts with these kinds of stories? The answer is simple. We don’t often see God going in to action in this way. We don’t see many miracles. We don’t see God using powerful events to make himself known. Can God do it? Sure. But does he?
Isaiah lived at a time when people were desperate to know that God was still fighting for them. They saw some awful things in the wars and massacres that happened during those years, around 700 BC. When they looked at the world that they were living in, they really didn’t see a lot of hope. How far they had fallen since the days of King David and Solomon. The tribes of Israel had been divided against each other, becoming bitter enemies. Other nations had risen to power while theirs had diminished. One war followed after another and many of their countrymen had died while others were carried off as slaves.
Towards the end of his book, Isaiah writes what might we might call the prayer of a believer who is fearful that God has turned his back forever. He knows that God can do great and mighty things. He knows that God could come with his justice and his strength to save his people and punish his adversaries. But will he?
Our text begins with his words, “You, the LORD, are our Father. Our Redeemer from everlasting is your name. Why do you cause us to wander from your ways, LORD? Why do you harden our heart so that we do not fear you? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes that are your heritage.”
At the heart of all the trouble that Israel was facing was a spiritual deficiency. Here’s the Lord, their Father, their Redeemer, but where are they? They’ve wandered. Now this passage is an interesting one because someone might point to this as evidence that the Lord himself is the one who predestines people for hell and judgment and causes their unbelief. “Why do you cause us to wander from your ways, LORD? Why do you harden our heart so that we do not fear you?”
But that can’t be the case. God says that he wants all people to be saved and that Jesus came to be the atoning sacrifice for the world. And furthermore, if it was the LORD who caused this by his eternal predestination, then it would be against his will and foolish or even wicked to ask for mercy. So what is this? It’s the question of believers everywhere then and now. We look around and what do we see? We see people who have wandered away from the faith. We see churches that have shrunk. We see people who, just like us, are troubled at the state of this world and they don’t see God doing anything to help, and so they give up and walk away. And yet they know that God is in charge. He could do something. He could come in spectacular power and might to save his people and to bring his vengeance. So he says,
Oh, that you would rip open the heavens and come down. Mountains then would quake because of your presence. As fire ignites stubble and as fire makes water boil, make your name known to your adversaries. Then nations would quake in your presence.
Can you imagine it? The LORD coming in power and might to rescue his people? The LORD drenching our parched lips with cool rain while hailing down destruction on our enemies? The kings and emperors of this earth forced to admit that our God is unconquerable and indestructible?
And the thing that can be frustrating to us is that we know it’s possible. Isaiah’s prayer is the voice of all believers who know God’s word. It says,
You did amazing things that we did not expect. You came down. Mountains quaked because of your presence. From ancient times no one has heard. No ear understood. No eye has seen any god except you, who goes into action for the one who waits for him.
The earth was wiped out in a cataclysmic flood. Sodom and Gomorrah were burnt to ash. Mt. Sinai thundered and shook. Jericho’s walls toppled over. The mighty power of God is seen over and over again in the Old Testament accounts. No other religion in the world teaches a God like this God. And if God is God, then he can do it all. He can spring into action. He can perform mighty acts and wonders. He can save his people from their oppressors. It isn’t even hard. So why doesn’t he?
Let’s face it. We know why.
You meet anyone who joyfully practices righteousness, who remembers you by walking in your ways! But you were angry because we sinned. We have remained in our sins for a long time. Can we still be saved? All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a filthy cloth. All of us have withered like a leaf, and our guilt carries us away like the wind.
Old Testament Israel was suffering because of their sins, especially their idolatry. God had been sending his prophets to warn them about it for a long time. What about us today? Do we deserve God to deliver us from our enemies? Do we deserve for him to visit us with peace and prosperity? How many people in our city and in our nation are in church calling on his name in prayer for mercy this morning? And how seriously have we taken our own relationship with God? It’s not a barbarian army that we’re facing. It’s the devil and all his demons that would seek to destroy us. We are weak and weary from sin, parched with thirst for God’s righteousness, and yet instead of trembling with fear at Satan’s threat we stand and stare blankly like a herd of cattle.
We can’t cling to our works. Even our most righteous acts are like filthy rags, stained with our sins. We are utterly unprepared for the Devil’s attacks and we don’t deserve for God to hear us or to answer us with his mighty salvation.
Can we still be saved?
There’s nothing that we can do. But what about our mighty and loving God?
But now, LORD, you are our father. We are the clay, and you are our potter. All of us are the work of your hand.
When we look at the world that we live and are tempted to despair over the state of things and the fact that we do not see God stepping in and going into action with his mighty salvation, our Lord points us somewhere else. He says, “Yes, in the distant past I did come down in glory and the mountains quaked in my presence. But Isaiah was waiting in eager expectation for something far more amazing. Instead of ripping open the heavens and boiling the seas, I came to you in a manger. I came to you in a stall. I came to you in your own flesh and blood to redeem you from your sin, to take your filthy rags on myself, and to wrap you in my own righteousness.”
God has brought his mighty salvation. Heaven wasn’t ripped open when he came down, but the angels choirs sang their joyful song of peace. Jesus didn’t melt us with his holy glare, but the sun hid its face while he suffered for our sin on the cross. The mountains didn’t shake at his anger, but the earth did quake when he rose from the dead. And he didn’t burn us up as stubble ignited by fire, but instead he lit our hearts on fire with the Holy Spirit and the fire of his love.
It’s with this saving love that he still comes to us today. When you were baptized a miracle took place, not a light from heaven, but new life. As we gather around his word and hear his absolution our hearts are set ablaze with his forgiveness and faith. In the Lord’s Supper his own body and blood answer most assuredly the question, “Can we still be saved?” We see the glorious miracle of God’s salvation right before our eyes every single week.
So come, Lord Jesus. Make us ready to celebrate your birth. Bring your salvation. We are the clay and you are our potter. All of us are the work of your hand. Amen.
— Pastor Seth Georgson