Do you ever wonder where God is and why He lets the evil of the world go on? Do you ask why God lets bad things happen? It is a legitimate question. But you may not like the answer. Verses 1-3 read,
“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.”
It is our sin, all our wrongdoing that keeps us separated from God. All the wrongs of the world create a chasm between us and God. He cannot and will not have anything to do with evil. He gave us free will. He will not force Himself on us. If we choose sin over Him, then He allows that. That means living with the consequences of that sin.
I’m sure you’re saying, “I’m not evil! I’m good.” The fact is, if you really examined yourself you would find that you commit offenses against your own moral code every day. People have a natural tendency toward protecting themselves, providing for themselves, and satisfying themselves. That means that many of us lie often. That means that many of us make excuses for our own iniquities, even planning to lie. “It’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission” is too common a phrase.
You strive to be a good person. I’m sure you do. You want justice, equality, and peace. Wanting to be good is just not good enough. Verses 9-10 read,
“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.”
Being good is impossible. Every one of us sins. Everyone has lied, been envious, hoped bad things would happen to another person or thought bad things about someone. You can’t tell me you went through your adolescence and never once thought, “I hate you Mom!” or when you saw someone arrested for a horrendous crime you didn’t hope they got a terrible punishment.
If being good is impossible, then what hope do we have for God to hear us? What hope is there for anyone? Why even try? Because God made a way. Because God loves you and wants you to know Him, He made a way. Verses 16-17 read,
“He saw that there was no man,
and wondered that there was no one to intercede;
then his own arm brought him salvation,
and his righteousness upheld him.
17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate,
and a helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,
and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak.”
God gave us Jesus, His own Son. God became a man and brought us salvation. He lived perfectly. He never once sinned. He brought us justice and passion and He made a way for us to connect with God. Jesus intercedes for us. He is the mediator between us and God. And because of Jesus we can talk to God, and God can hear us. We can listen to God and we can obey Him. Because of Jesus all our sins are wiped away and God no longer sees our sin but instead He sees Jesus’ righteousness and we can be in a relationship with Him. Verses 19-21 read,
“So they shall fear the name of the Lord from the west,
and his glory from the rising of the sun;
for he will come like a rushing stream,
which the wind of the Lord drives.
20 “And a Redeemer will come to Zion,
to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the Lord.
21 “And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children's offspring,” says the Lord, “from this time forth and forevermore.”
Jesus is our Redeemer. He paid the price for our wrongs because He is the only one who could. All you have to do is admit that you have done wrongs and you need Jesus. Ask Jesus to be your Master and Redeemer, to save you from separation from God and let Him change you. And He will. God promises He will be with you forever. He gives you His Spirit and He makes you new. You will be different, you will speak, think, and behave differently. You will be in a relationship so close with God, so intertwined with Him that you will never again have to wonder where He is. And He will answer those hard questions for you. Whatever you ask of Him, He will placate your questions and satiate your curiosity.