How important it is for us to wake up and realize that we need divine help in these troubling days. In the Prophet Isaiah’s day, these same conditions prevailed. This is evident in Isaiah’s writings as he recorded these words in chapter 1:4 & 16: “Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.” “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil.”

As I recently studied these Scriptures, I was reminded of four things that are obvious in our land today.

First, There is the Plight. We find ourselves in a terrible predicament. Our country has become a land engrossed with sin where there is no shame while all the while evildoers are more in the open than ever before. Our youth have become creators of shameless actions which have corrupted our foundations and principles. We have lost our morals and standards, yet we wonder why our nation is so corrupt.

Secondly, There is the Parting. We are facing difficult days and the primary reason is because we have forsaken the Lord. Once upon a time, people feared the Lord and followed His Word. However, as time has passed, we have wondered away from Godly principles, and the Bible is no longer our guide. In thus doing so, God doesn’t have the preeminence in our lives. We have allowed other things to become more important.

Thirdly, There is the Provoking. By living our lives so haphazardly, we are daring God to do something about it. We are in essence shaking our fists in the face of God and saying if Your Word is true, then do something about it. This is one of the most dangerous things any individual or people could ever do.

Fourthly, There is the Plea. The Lord makes a strong appeal. He commands us to wash and become clean. He tells us to put away the evil of our doings from before his eyes. He pleads with us to cease doing evil. The Bible tells us the eyes of the Lord are in every place, so the only way to remove our iniquities from him is to cease practicing them.

All of these things would cause us to sense a bleak picture of our present and especially of our future. But, all is not lost, there is hope.

How wonderful it is to know that for every tragedy, there can be triumph. For every temptation, there is an escape, and for every predicament there is a promise. We can turn our nation around, there can be light at the end of the tunnel, and there can be a refuge from the storm.

Here’s the good news, there is pardon. In our most adverse times, there is an answer and that answer, whether as individuals or a nation, is pardon.

We are told in verse 18 of Isaiah 1: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. The Bible says: “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”

Rest assured, if we will only turn unto the lord while he may yet be found we can find the remedy for our lives and for our land. It is time that we wake up, seek his face, trust his word, and plead for his mercies so he will heal our land.