July 27 - Isaiah 58:1-63:14

Good morning everyone,

I love the way today’s reading starts off, “Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet.” What is he talking about? It sounds like praise and worship, right? Well, it’s not. God has instructed Isaiah to bring a message to the people telling them that it is not okay to go to the temple, to go through prayer, to make sacrifices and then resume their sinful behavior once they left to go home. No, no, God wanted them to mean it. He wanted them to feel a love and devotion for God in their hearts and to want to be there to worship, to have a “delighted to love you back” mentality instead of a “ugh, I have to go to church again” spirit, or worse yet a, “see I go to church and do all the right things” persona that was, in fact, an absolute lie. God really wanted, still does want, a devotion to Him and His prescribed way of life to be desired by us and adapted as a lifestyle. We read today that the Jews loved to learn, they were very good at it and they were not interested in obeying God. That sounds a lot like so many who live in the twenty first century, right? They talk the talk with such an in-depth understanding of the Bible, they may even teach it, but some of these very same folks were out drinking and carousing it up until all hours the night before, or perhaps let their eyes wander to inappropriate movies or internet, or their language is X-Rated or their morals are nonexistent, it could be any number of things. The point is, God is reprimanding these people for putting on a show of pomp and circumstance and not really having a relationship with God at all.

It was these same people, and again, people everywhere do the same today, who were wondering why their prayers were not being heard. Well, in Psalm 66:18 David said, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” So if, as Christians, we cherish, that is to say foster, sin in our hearts then the Lord will not hear our prayers. Isaiah 59:2 tells us, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” Again, God hides himself from those who willfully practice sin. Need more convincing? Proverbs 1:28-29 says, “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me, because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord.” Meaning, anyone, Christians included, who would willfully choose sin, and not live according to God’s plan, God will not listen to them and their prayers will be, at best, delayed; however, having said that, there is one prayer God will always hear and that is one of a repentant heart praying for forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 promises, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Then check this out, 1 Peter 5:6 says, “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you.” Seriously?! Honor us? Yes indeed! In His time He will honor you and honor me. What a wonderfully loving God we have. Right on?

For years Abraham Lincoln was credited for saying, “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” Well, our God sees all and knows all, ALL OF THE TIME, especially the heart. I would encourage you to have a heart for Jesus. Amen?

Have a wonderful day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..