The Sound of Silence

The Word is first...

Isaiah 59:2 (NIV)

² But your iniquities have separated

you from your God;

your sins have hidden his face from you,

so that he will not hear.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984

There are times when God is tremendously silent, when our prayers seem to fall to the floor instead of rising towards Heaven and when we lift our voice in praise it is awkward and unnatural. These times or seasons seem to slip over us like a blanket, gently, quietly and without any pretense. There comes a moment when we are profoundly aware of a tomb-like quality of such silence. It is in those moments that we have choices to make whether to lie quietly in our coffin of self or to start kicking, screaming and clawing our way out of that box.

These times or seasons are very real and they come for numerous reasons. Today's study verse speaks of one such reason; sin. As a created being it was sin that separated us from God in the garden and sin separates us still.

Isaiah 59:2 teaches us "But your iniquities have separated you from your God." Iniquities are defined by Webster as "gross injustice" or "a wicked act or thing." When can think of them as those sins we commit knowingly and willfully. Consider James 4:17 which speaks "Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it." Whether by omission or commission, sin is sin and our God cannot tolerate sin in his presence. Whenever we choose to sin, knowing full well what God has said about our actions, we elevate the sin to a position ahead of God. We state that our will reigns in our lives not God's will. The isolation from God that we feel when we are in a state of sinfulness is real. It is because our sin, our iniquity, has separated us from our God. It is not as though God has left us, it is as though we have driven a wedge between us. In the same way that you use a wedge to split a piece of wood, the wedge of sin splits us apart from God.

The study verse continues; "your sins have hidden his face from you." You may recall that when "The Law" was all we had, we were separated from God by a great curtain in the temple. We were prevented from seeing God or coming into his presence by this veil. Though that particular veil has been torn asunder by the shed blood of Jesus, there is yet another veil that works in the same manner. This veil however, is not made of fabric but is constructed of our sin. God can be standing right in front of us, facing us and we are unable to see him if we are in a state of sinfulness. It's not because he is invisible or has 'left the building' but our sight is hampered by our sin; "your sins have hidden his face from you..." The same sin that has forcefully separated us from the presence of God covers our eyes like scales so that we are blind to Him.

The last fragment of this verse "so that he will not hear" reveals why we perceive that God is silent and brings us into the full realization of why we feel that we are alone. The wedge of sin acts as a stopper or plug in the 'ears' of God. I think it is important to note that the phrase is "will not hear" instead of "can not hear." This indicates that God is ignoring the prayers of the unrepentant sinner. Our iniquities isolate us from God, blind us to God and renders our prayers ineffective.

What a dire situation this is! Yet all is not lost! That wedge of sin can be easily removed, fellowship restored, sight returned and prayers rendered powerful and effective! All that is required is confession and repentance.

When we submit ourselves before The Lord and confess our sins He hears. 1 John 1:9 teaches us
^"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." The contrite heart gets God's attention above the noise and chaos of sin. And as he forgives us and cleanses us, we are returned to his fellowship and the veil that hid Him from us is once again dissolved.

Let us not forget though that confession is but one step in the process. Having a contrite heart, being in full realization of our sinfulness and our helplessness, we confess and fellowship is restored. But it is the repentance that secures us in that fellowship. Jesus said "go and sin no more" and that is the very basis of repentance. To turn away from sin and go in the opposite direction is the order of the day and in so doing, we leave the wedge of sin that would divide us, lying the mud forgotten.

So if you are in such a season of isolation and separation, examine yourself carefully to be certain that there is no unconfessed sin contributing to your situation. If during your examination you discover there to be sin, repent, confess and be restored. If you find no sin to explain your situation then praise God for His faithfulness and be resolved to finish the current test in a manner that glorifies God.

Peace,
Carl