“I will destine you to the sword and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter, because when I called you did not answer. When I spoke, you did not listen, but you did what was evil in my eyes and chose what I did not delight in.” Oh, I read this verse, these words and just think, God, may it not be so in me, may it not be so in us. Listen to the language, “When I called,” God says, “You did not answer. You ignored my voice. When I spoke, you did not listen, but you did instead what was evil in my eyes.” And you chose, listen to this phrase, “You chose what I did not delight in.”
– Isaiah 65:12
This verse just drives us straight to prayer. God may this not be so in us. God, may this not be so in me, in any one of us who is praying right now. God, in our lives, in our families, in our churches together, as your people. God, when you call, help us to answer. When you speak, help us to listen.
God, we pray that you would make us the people who are hungry for your word, who tune our hearts to hear your word, to meditate on it day and night, to rise in the morning and hear your word. Not to go off into our days not listening to you, ignoring you. And God, all day long, we pray that you’d help us to abide in your word, help us to meditate it on day and night, God, to soak in your word.
Isaiah 65:12 Leads Us to Answer the Call of God
When you call, may it be said that we answered. When you speak, may it be said that we are listening. We’re constantly listening to you that our ears are in tune with your word. God, more than any other words in this world, God, more than news, more than social media feeds, more than this or that person’s opinions. God, more than we listen to anything else in this world, help us to listen to your word. May it be said of us, true of us. God, may it be true of us that when you spoke, we listened. And that we did what was good in your eyes. God, guard us today from doing what is evil in your eyes. We don’t want to do what’s evil in your eyes and help us to choose today what you delight in.
Isaiah 65:12 Calls Us Our Thoughts to Be Delightful to God
Oh, God, give us that filter on everything we do today that we would not do anything today that you don’t delight in. That our thoughts would be delightful to you. That our desires would be delightful to you. That our words, our actions, our decisions, our every step would be delightful to you. God, help us to choose that which you delight in. Oh, God, in all of this, we think about your commission to us, your command to make disciples of all the nations.
God, help us to obey what you have spoken. We pray today together for the Posse people of India, 5.8 million of them, no known followers of Jesus. God, forgive us for not listening and obeying and doing what you delight in, and taking the gospel to all the nations. And help us to faithfully proclaim the gospel today, where we live and wherever you lead.
Praying for the Spread of the Gospel Among the Unreached
And God, we pray for the spread of the gospel to the Posse. We know that is something you delight in. And every single people group hearing the gospel, help us to choose what you delight in, to live for this great commission to give our lives, make disciples who make disciples of all the nations, knowing you delight in this in every facet of our lives. Oh, God, in all of our lives, may it be true of us that when you called, we answered, when you spoke, we listened, that we did what was good in your eyes and chose what you delight in. We pray this according to your word in Isaiah 65:12. In Jesus’ name, amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
