Isaiah 63: You cause us to stray from Your ways

 In Isaiah 63 we read:

God’s Vengeance on the Nations (1-8)

4 For the day of vengeance was in My heart,
And My year of redemption has come.

6 I trampled down the peoples in My anger
And made them drunk with My wrath,
And I [e]poured out their lifeblood on the earth.

The Lord poured out lifeblood from many people on his anger, on the day of vengeance.

God’s Ancient Mercies Recalled (9-14)

The Lord made great things to his people :

9 In all their distress [f]He was distressed,
And the angel of His presence saved them;
In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them,
And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.
10 But they rebelled
And grieved His Holy Spirit;
Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy,
He fought against them.

You Are Our Father (15-19)
15 Look down from heaven and see from Your holy and glorious lofty habitation;
Where are Your zeal and Your mighty deeds?
The stirrings of Your heart and Your compassion are restrained toward me.
16 For You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us
And Israel does not recognize us.
You, Lord, are our Father,
Our Redeemer from ancient times is Your name.
17 Why, Lord, do You cause us to stray from Your ways
And harden our heart from fearing You?
Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.
18 Your holy people possessed Your sanctuary for a little while,
Our adversaries have trampled it down.
19 We have become like those over whom You have never ruled,
Like those who were not called by Your name.

These final verses are very interesting. The Lord is called "Father" of his people in v16 what is not so common in Old Testament where "father" is applied to a nation, not individually. In the New Testament we see the Lord being called Father, Aba in more personal way. We read in v17:

17 Why, Lord, do You cause us to stray from Your ways
And harden our heart from fearing You?
Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.

I doubt that anyone would ask the Lord such question: "do You cause us to stray from Your ways And harden our heart from fearing You?"

However, it is prayer like: "You Lord can change my heart and bring me to you; so please do it!". He finishes saying: "Return for the sake of your servants" because it seems that the Lord has forsaken his people in the Babylonian captivity.