LEARNING DAILY

 

Isaiah 59:1-2, Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.

 

I imagine that there are days Christians might wonder why God just does not save them from the trials they face. Do you ever find yourself wondering about this? Is it like the concern Christians have when they see the unrighteous prospering? The people in Isaiah’s time were no different; they were wondering out loud if God’s ability to help them was diminishing (Is God’s hand shortened?). Isaiah was assuring them that was not the case.  We all have heard the same questions about God allowing such and such to happen and all the stuff people say to try to make the case that God does not care about His people.

 

Let me see if you agree or disagree with a statement: There is no standing still as a Christian! One is either walking down the narrow way, growing closer to the Lord, growing in humility and obedience and experiencing more and more of His grace or staying in the milk of God’s Word, staying a baby Christian. In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul would call a baby Christian carnal which refers to one still walking in their fleshly desires, not growing spiritually. As I read through the prophets again, Israel refers to people who are not following God and experienced the consequences for not being obedient, for not growing closer to God; they lived for themselves and not the Lord. They wondered why God was not stepping in and taking them out of the trials they found themselves in.

 

Isaiah told the people that God was not limited in His ability or power to do anything. The real problem was their sin. That has not changed in people’s lives today! Sin and wickedness still create a barrier between us and God. Here is the thing: sin does not necessarily separate us from the presence of God because He is omnipresence; He is present everywhere. It does not even separate us from the love of God because He loves sinners. Jesus Christ came to save us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8). But it does separate us from fellowship with God. Because of this barrier Christians can no longer experience the blessings of God’s protection or His favor. Prayers are not answered. When we sin, we stop thinking like God; we are no longer trusting Him or relying on Him. Perhaps that is why we can’t understand why He does not take us out of our trials or why we believe “good” people go to heaven even though they are not saved. It is easy to blame our problems on all sorts of other things when in reality it is the sin we have not confessed in our lives. We just cannot trick or fool God.

 

Stop trying to believe sin is something trivial. Sin is an abomination to God! He will not tolerate it! Believers in Isaiah’s time were credited with righteousness and all Believers in this Church Age are saved by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Faith alone brings salvation; faith that God the Father poured out His wrath on sin on His Son while He was hanging on a cross – taking the place each of us deserved! Sin causes separation between the believer and God; it prevents the believer from enjoying a close fellowship with Him. But when the sin is confessed and forgiveness asked for, that fellowship is restored with God (1 John 1:9). God is faithful to keep His promises, but He demands we are to walk on the narrow way as He demands, growing mature in Him spiritually. Never forget our faith is to be growing continually as we walk in God’s truth and enjoy fellowship with Him.