Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save,
Isaiah 59:1-2 NIV
nor his ear too dull to hear.
But your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear.
Does God ever seem far away? That your prayers just bounce off the ceiling? And that you come home from worship services with an empty feeling? Have you lost the joy of your salvation? If so, what Isaiah says here may be the reason.
He starts by proclaiming that God is always near. He is not asleep or inattentive. The problem lies, not in him, but in me. It is my sin that separates me from God. It is my sin that hides his face from me. My sin comes between us, so I can no longer recognize God’s presence.
You might argue that you live a good life. You are not sexually immoral, and don’t take what is not yours. And you generally obey the law. I know I can certainly claim that. But sin is more than those gross violations of a moral code. Sin is missing the mark. It is failing to live the life God has called me to. When I live to please myself, I am living in sin. And when that happens, as it does all too often, I cannot expect to feel close to God. He will seem distant because I have turned away from him. He has not left me, but my sin has come between us and separated me from God.
The solution to this is found at the end of this chapter. The Redeemer will come to those who repent of their sins. If I turn from seeking to satisfy myself and instead seek to live for the Lord, I will find that he has been there all along, just waiting for me to turn to him.
Hi Ed, could you give me some clarification on how I can live not to please myself. This journey is very hard, it seems like every time I think I’m doing what I need to do for God to fellowship with me and give me instruction, so that I can see his plan for my life, it seems there’s always something else to do. Example, I got saved 17 years ago and baptized and thought I was fine to go on living life because I was saved from Hell. Well those years showed me what you said in the article here, I was definitely separated from God but he would seem to stop give me revelation here and there. (As I sinned less and less) I struggle to read the Bible so I didn’t and would watch different sermons on YouTube but then started to get conflicting information and became confused. 3 weeks ago I decided to start reading the Bible for myself to gain my own clarity. I’ve gotten some revelation but it seems like there’s always more we have to do to get God to speak. We are always going to be sinners as God said. So my question is which sin are the ones he hides his face from? Since we will always be imperfect. How do I live life not for myself ? When I say that I don’t mean that I am selfish. I care about others and take care of my responsibilities. I mean what is a mindset I can have or what can I be looking for or is there a prayer for me to pray so God can show me what? How do you live to ensure that? I tell you, trying to walk with God seems like the hardest thing on earth.
Alison
What you describe is the common experience of all who seek to live for Christ. It is challenging. The world is pulling at us constantly. And our own desires are frequently at odds with what God would want from us. I do not believe that there is any one thing you can do to suddenly be perfect. It is generally a long slow process that begins when you commit your life to him and ends when he calls you home.
Spending time with the Bible is pretty important. Without it, you will likely never mature. Listening to what others say, whether it is YouTube sermons or what I say here, can be helpful. But nothing will replace spending time reading the Bible and spending the time to try and understand what God may be saying to you through it.
Spend time in prayer. Pray about what you have read, seeking understanding from him. Pray about discernment for his general and specific will for your life. And pray about your failures, seeking forgiveness, strength to avoid that in the future, and for him to use that failure to help you to grow.
And find a body of believers who are also seeking God. Find and give encouragement within that body. Grow together in the Lord.
Be patient and faithful to where he leads.
Blessings on your journey. Keep your eyes fixed on the goal, and don’t get discouraged and give up. When you fall, take his hand to help you back up. And just walk with him each and every moment of your day.