Growing up I couldn’t wait for the 4th of July, the day we celebrate our nation’s independence. Early in the morning, you could hear aerial bombs going off. Not the destructive kind, but fireworks that make a deafening, stomach-shaking boom. This went on for about an hour. Later that morning, it’s the circus at our local high school’s football field. In the evening there was a dance band followed by the night sky lighting up with awesome fireworks, culminating in a finale with reverberating blasts causing the earth to rumble beneath you.

Midday there were rides in our local park. From pony rides to mini-cars on a track. All at no additional cost after you buy the whole-day ticket, including a tear-off for a free popsicle. Good Humor trucks line up, giving away numberless popsicles, all on a hot, humid summer New Jersey day. My father and I would laugh at all the kids with extra tear-off tickets, stuffing frozen flavored ice into their back pockets to enjoy later when, unfortunately for them, all that melting goop runs down the back of their pants and legs!

What a mess! Reading Isaiah 64 we read of yet one more. The arrow is aimed at those of us who have cast God behind our backs, so to speak. Who stuff Him far away. Taking all His goodness and frittering it away on foolish sins. I know a bunch that have my name written on them. From A to Z of rebellion and selfishness. Just me? You wish.

Isaiah 64: 7–‘There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities.’ Sins I’ve cultivated and groomed cause a colossal meltdown. Instead of helping me get ahead, I’ve only short-circuited things, causing fuses to blow out, crashing me onto some nameless dead-end streets.

Any antidote to this mess? Some help from on high? Of course. Stop stuffing precious things in your back pocket. Out of sight, out of mind. Instead, get serious about the Lord Jesus. Put Him front and center for a change. It’s where He belongs.

Tell Him you need forgiveness. Where? Which exactly? Be specific. Humble yourself (I’m looking in the mirror). Expect His help in His time and in His way. Take His direction. Follow the Bible as your guide.

Ready to go? I am. The train just pulled in. Hop on. Hey, guess who the conductor and engineer are? No, not you or me. So, sit back. Relax. Enjoy the scenery. Unwind. Guess who’s hands are on the throttle? No, not yours or mine.

You know, don’t you?

Thank you, Jesus, for taking the lead in my life. Amen.