But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perversity. Isaiah 59:2, 3, NKJV.
Dear God, please help us not to allow anything to come between our souls and You. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Yesterday our devotional was on prayer. Today we are going to continue with the subject, but considering some of the reasons our prayers may not be answered. The first half of the Scripture for today was mentioned in yesterday’s devotional. God’s hand is not short. His ear is not heavy. So it must be things in our lives that are not pleasing in God’s sight that keeps Him from answering our prayers. I believe when the prophet says that our iniquities have hidden His face from us that He will not hear us, what he is really saying is that He will not answer us. After all, God is everywhere and He hears everything.
Let us look at some of the things or conditions mentioned in our text:
“Your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity.” This could mean the actual commiting of murder, or seeing murder take place and not doing anything about it. Also taking bribes, or knowing that injustice is being covered up for the right price, and turning your head the other way. You see, sin is not always an act of commision. It is also an act of ommision. “‘”‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me’'” (Matthew 25: 44b, 45. Emphasis provided.).
[Y]our lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perversity. Lies and slander, obscenities, are looked upon as “minor sins” while murder, theft, and adultery are considered “major sins.” I am sure that we are all aware by now that this is a human-made classification. We read in the Bible: “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6: 23a. Emphasis provided). The Bible does not categorize sin. Sin is sin. “[F]or all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:23). Not everyone has committed murder, nor lied, nor stolen, but all have committed sin.
Jesus put lies and murder in the same category: “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8: 44). The father of lies and murder is the author of all sin.
We will look at some other conditions tomorrow.