Daily Devotions
June 26th, 2009 by Pastor SolleyIsa 58:1-4
58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.
3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
It seems at times that Israel prayed and prayed in the Old Testament and God did not hear, that God did not see them. What was the problem?
The answer is found in Matthew 6. – Matt 6:5-7
5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
They6 prayed to be heard, but not by God, they prayed to be heard by men. Israel made a show of things, but the heart of the people was far from God. I wonder when we think God does not hear us, when God does not see, when God is not answering our prayers if we are following the pattern of Israel. Are we praying, serving, worshiping God to be seen of men? Where is our heart? When it seems as if God does not hear us we need to stop and see where our heart is with God.