The biggest problem with sin

Do we ever feel distant from God, to the point that we begin to doubt his power? Isaiah 59:1 (KJV) says,

...the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

God has infinite power, and he hears our concerns. But why do we feel that he doesn't answer us? Verse 2 (KJV) answers,

But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

And therein lies the biggest problem with sin. It pulls us away from God, and separates us from his saving power. So if we feel distant from God, and if we find ourselves doubting his power, let us first examine our own lives. We'll likely find that that fault sits with us, and not with God.

Trust in God's light, not our own

Isaiah 50:10-11 presents a clear dichotomy of where we should, and should not, place our trust. First, in verse 10 (KJV),

Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.

Do we distress, and feel like to have no answers? (That is, do we "hath no light"?) Then fear God, trust him, and "stay" (i.e., "rely") on God.

That sounds easy, but our human inclination often leads us to rely on our own cleverness. Verse 11 (KJV) cautions against doing that,

Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.

So if we "hath no light," to use the phrasing from verse 10, do we try to "kindle a fire" ourselves, and "walk in the light" of those sparks that we have created? The verse notes that such reliance on self eventually leads us to "lie down in sorrow."

The Bible includes many such dichotomies, but this one is especially stark, particularly with its allegory involving "light." In our prayers, let us seek God's light, and not our own.

Preparing the heart for prayer

When fitting spiritual moments into a busy day, it's tempting to quickly close our eyes, fold our hands, and hammer out a quick prayer. That process takes less than a few minutes.

But the Bible makes it clear that, before praying, we are to prepare our heart. Psalm 57:7 (KJV) states,

My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.

(In place of the word "fixed," other translations have "committed" or "prepared.") Similarly, Proverbs 23:12 (KJV) states,

Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

(The Hebrew word rendered as "apply" also could be translated as "come," meaning that our hearts and ears are "coming" to God.)

Note from these passages that the Bible does not give a set recipe for preparing our hearts for prayer;  we should be very thankful for that! God does not want us to follow some set of ritualistic machinations before prayer. Rather, he wants our hearts and minds in a correct spiritual setting so that we can properly commune with him. Doing so will help us get more out of our prayer lives.

Why do we work?

Why do we work (or, if you are a student, study)? One could argue that work increases our likelihood of survival. Certainly if we ceased working, our lifestyles would diminish. But, in a modern society, would it threaten our survival? Maybe, or maybe not, depending on our individual circumstances.

My guess is that much of our day-to-day work/study is not geared directly toward survival, but rather toward increasing our wealth or prestige. This seems to be especially relevant in careers that involve building an impressive resume. Now that pursuit of professional success, in and of itself, is not a problem. After all, Solomon notes (Ecclesiastes 3:22, KJV),

I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion.

But problems start when we let our work come before our relationship with God. We begin focusing on the temporal rather than the spiritual. Proverbs 23:4-5 (KJV) states,

Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

Wealth and resumes will vanish eventually and become meaningless. But this is a tough psychology to accept, because we spend so much of our day working, that it can become easy to let work define us! To maintain focus during the workday, recall the words of Paul (Colossians 3:23-24, KJV),

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

Isaiah's repentance

Chapter 6 of Isaiah contains only 13 verses, but, wow, is it dense! Over the course of those 13 verses, Isaiah

• sees a vision of God in heaven surrounded by angels
• realizes his own lack of holiness in relation to God's perfection
• repents of his sins
• receives a (painful) forgiveness of his sins
• answers God's call to be his messenger
• hears God's plan of impending destruction, and the reason for that coming doom
• receives a hint of God's plan to save a holy remnant

That is, in essence, the entire message of the Bible jammed into 13 verses! Needless to say, there is too much material here to cover in one post.

Therefore, I'd like to draw attention to Isaiah's repentance and forgiveness. In verse 5 (KJV), Isaiah proclaims,

Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

Then, in verses 6-7 (KJV), one of the angels...

... having a live coal in his hand ... laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

Isaiah didn't offer excuses or explanations for his sins. He didn't even name specific transgressions. Rather, he simply and humbly acknowledged his falling short of God's perfection. God does not require flashy shows of repentance or eloquent appeals in iambic pentameter; he only requires a contrite heart.

But note that the process of forgiveness was painful! A hot coal, taken from the alter, must have scorched Isaiah's mouth. The Bible includes many examples of painful cleansing from sin. But more important than anything, Isaiah was, indeed, cleansed.

Simply repentance, and simple (yet possibly painful) forgiveness. Let those ideas animate our prayers today.

Different circumstances, same conclusion

In the books of Job and Ecclesiastes, two important Biblical figures reflect on the meaning and purpose of life. The circumstances in which they find themselves differ drastically. Job has lost his earthly possessions, his family, and his bodily health. Solomon, on the other hand, is enjoying the pinnacle of earthly prosperity and celebrity.

Yet despite those different circumstances, both Job and Solomon, as they reflect upon life, reach the exact same conclusion!

In Ecclesiastes 12:13 (KJV), Solomon succinctly summarizes his reflections,

Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

And in Job 28:28 (KJV),

Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

Those passages show two things. First, the meaning and purpose of life is not complicated: fear God and obey him. Second, that conclusion applies regardless of our life circumstances. Whether we sit on top of the world like Solomon or suffer in the depths of agony like Job, our mission is the same: fear God and obey him.

Searching for and finding mercy

The Bible is often described as a book that explains itself. For example, Proverbs 21:21 (KJV) reads,

He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.

Those seem like huge rewards for following righteousness and mercy! Now, the "righteousness" part of this is clear: we must follow God's commands. And note, from the passage, that righteousness is, in fact, a reward for pursuing righteousness. So righteousness appears to beget itself.

But what about "mercy"? Where do we find that? Although the immediate surrounding text doesn't provide an answer, other parts of the Bible do. For example, Psalm 36:5 (KJV) reads,

Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens.

So all mercy emanates from God in heaven. And the way for us to connect to that mercy is to pray to God for that heavenly gift of mercy.

This is but one, relatively easy-to-understand, example of the Bible explaining itself. The Bible's pattern of explaining itself, I think, becomes clear if one habitually reads the Bible, especially a "literal" translation that attempts to adhere to the original Hebrew and Greek wording. Making a practice of doing that (eventually) helps clarify passages and answers questions that some sections might pose.

(Note: I don't mean to disparage more "dynamic" translations. I, myself, frequently use the NLT!)