Isaiah 59:1-3,9-13
1 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. 3 For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies; your tongue mutters wickedness..... 9 Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, and behold, darkness, and for brightness, but we walk in gloom. 10 We grope for the wall like the blind; we grope like those who have no eyes; we stumble at noon as in the twilight, among those in full vigor we are like dead men. 11 We all growl like bears; we moan and moan like doves; we hope for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us. 12 For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities: 13 transgressing, and denying the Lord, and turning back from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words.
The consequence of sin is that it separates us from God (verse 2). When we separate from God we lose His peace, His justice, and His blessing. Sin tempts us with fantasies of fulfillment and happiness, but the truth is that it separates us from true happiness, and instead brings misery, emptiness and deceit. We are then tempted to complain about life, but "our sins testify against us" (verse 12), for we have brought about our own misery by separating from God.
Lord, I confess to separating myself from you and chasing other idols. Please forgive my sins and help me to stay connected to You.
1 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. 3 For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies; your tongue mutters wickedness..... 9 Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, and behold, darkness, and for brightness, but we walk in gloom. 10 We grope for the wall like the blind; we grope like those who have no eyes; we stumble at noon as in the twilight, among those in full vigor we are like dead men. 11 We all growl like bears; we moan and moan like doves; we hope for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us. 12 For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities: 13 transgressing, and denying the Lord, and turning back from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words.
The consequence of sin is that it separates us from God (verse 2). When we separate from God we lose His peace, His justice, and His blessing. Sin tempts us with fantasies of fulfillment and happiness, but the truth is that it separates us from true happiness, and instead brings misery, emptiness and deceit. We are then tempted to complain about life, but "our sins testify against us" (verse 12), for we have brought about our own misery by separating from God.
Lord, I confess to separating myself from you and chasing other idols. Please forgive my sins and help me to stay connected to You.