Repentence Unto Surrender

“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” (Isa 64:6-8 AV)

There is so much in these three verses.  When sharing the gospel with others, we are accustomed to using verse six.  Our goal is to attest to the truth that we are utterly fallen and wicked.  That there is no good in and of ourselves.  Even those things we do right are done for the wrong motive.  Very few are the righteous acts of a fallen soul that are pure in intent, motive, and outcome.  What we do not consider is the end result.  When a soul is willing to admit to the truth of verses six and seven, verse eight should be the result.  In a way, the transition from verse six to verse eight perfectly illustrates what repentance is.  It is not a work of the flesh.  It is a work of the heart and mind.  When the writer admits to the true condition of self, surrendering to God’s mercy, the result is total surrender to the hand of God to shape him into whatever the Creator wishes.  Repentance means surrender to truth in the heart and mind resulting in a surrender of the will.  What the Spirit has placed upon my heart is the application of verse eight.

There is a type of prayer often referred to as a prayer of desperation.  Often called a ‘foxhole prayer’, it is a desperate prayer for intercession or rescue from the LORD, vowing a change of life in the event of a rescue.  Sometimes, these prayers are a good thing.  Specially if the penitent is willing to admit his fault and forsake his shortcomings that caused the problem.  But often, foxhole prayers if answered, do not result in a change of life.  Once the situation ceases, the petitioner goes back to the same old life.  When true repentance comes, we are like a lump of clay.  We have no will of our own.  Whatever the LORD wishes, we are surrendered to His hand.

I remember a hard time of life just after my salvation experience.  I was still too much in the world.  On one particular night, an invitation to accompany co-workers to a bar after work was extended.  They promised they would not pressure me to drink.  They just wanted me to come.  I relented because they were the only friends I had.  A half a beer and anti-acid later, I thought I was going to die.  In severe pain on my bed I prayed a foxhole prayer.  I didn’t ask for the LORD to keep me alive nor take away the pain.  What I did pray is the LORD do whatever it took to mature me no matter how many temper tantrums I might throw.  Decades later and countless tantrums thrown, slowly the LORD has grown me up.  Not nearly as much as I could have changed.  For which I am ashamed.  The reminder that we are the clay and He is the potter is a reminder we need every day.  Repentance isn’t a one-time act.  It is a way of life.  A surrender, moment by moment if necessary, to the will of the Potter.