The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; Psalm 34:15-19 NIV
The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayers of the righteous. Proverbs 15:29 NIV
Yesterday we talked about evil, wicked people. We talked about how we should not be one of those people and then how we should avoid those people. Our scripture passage tells us today that God is far from wicked people. We know that sin separates us from God. Isaiah 59:2 tells us, But your iniquities have separated you from God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. Some versions say that your sins have built a barrier between you and God. Either way, the Bible clearly tells us that our sin separates us from God and causes Him to turn His face from us and to not hear our prayers.
Now I am not the sharpest tool in the shed but I will tell you this. For a couple of years, I went to church and began trying to establish a close, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. But, things were just not going as I had planned. I kept thinking things would get better and that God would understand my sin and give me some sort of pass to just keep on sinning. But instead, my life became more and more chaotic. I was going to church on most Sundays, I was reading my Bible and praying. Things were getting worse instead of better. My refusal to let go of my sin showed a lack of faith in God. I couldn’t get it through my thick head that if I let go of my sin that God would take care of me. He would bless me beyond measure. He would give me the peace and joy that I was craving in my life. I was doing everything I had been told to do while growing up in church. I was going to church, praying and reading my bible. But sadly, all that was doing me no good. I was allowing my sin to build a barrier between me and God. God had to turn his face from me and He was not hearing my prayers. I had to surrender my life to God.
As a small child, I used to get bored going clothes shopping with my mom. I remember that one thing I would do is go into the middle of a rack of clothes and hide. This would usually frighten my mom, but then there were those occasions when she was walking around the store thinking I was right behind her and I was the one frightened when I couldn’t see her. What’s really scary is if you call out to your parents and they don’t answer. It is a scary, lonely feeling. Well, it can be that way when you allow your sin to separate you from God.
The other scary thing is that when we are separated from God, we are left vulnerable to the devil’s attack. God promises His protection on those of us that choose to seek refuge in Him. But, remember, He can’t even hear those of us that choose sin over salvation. Psalm 91:1 tells us that if we choose to live in God’s shelter, that we will be able to have peace and rest in His shadow. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 tells us But the Lord is faithful, He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. Isaiah 41:10 says, So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand. Isaiah 54:17 says, no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I need a whole lot of God in my life. I have learned that if I am left to my own devices, I can really make a mess of things. I have also learned that no matter how much I try to avoid these evil people, that they will still come against me simply because they love to keep drama stirred and they love to make others as miserable as they are. I want to know that God hears me loudly and clearly when I call out to Him. I also keep an open line of communication. I want Him to know that I love Him and praise Him and I never just use Him as a 911 call.
How awesome is it that we can have an open line of communication with the Lord of the Universe, with the King of Kings through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? In horror movies, you often see where the person that has broken into the house to attack the resident has cut the phone wires so that they can’t call out for help. Now of course in the days of cell phones, that doesn’t work. But when we sin and turn away from God, we cut off that life line. We cut the wires so that when we call out to Him, he doesn’t hear us.
Hell is described as a fiery furnace, but the scariest thing about hell is that once you get there you are separated from God for eternity.
Today, you have a choice to make. You can confess your sins and ask God to forgive you. You can ask God to strengthen you and help you to remove this sin from your life. You can have an open line of communication where God hears you 24/7. Or, you can close off your communication with Him. You can choose to live in His shelter or you can choose to live in your sin where you are wide open to attack from the evil forces. My prayer for you today is that you choose wisely.
Have a great day!