WATCHWORD:
When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood! Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. Isaiah 1:15-17
“What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the Lord. “I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. 12 When you come to worship me, who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony? 13 Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts me! As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath and your special days for fasting—they are all sinful and false. I want no more of your pious meetings. 14 I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals. They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them! Isaiah 1:11-14
Meditation:
The True Heart of God
I read the passage from Isaiah and I couldn’t help but think of all the heart-break at our nation’s border, crowded with the oppressed from other nations, children separated from their parents, seeking a better life. One broken heart after another, each an individual human crisis and yet, taken together, we seem to have chaos. A problem of massive proportions, yet one for which we must find blessed solutions.
That passage is part of a vision of Isaiah about Judah regarding their wickedness – our wickedness? The second passage reflected Judah’s efforts to honor God through sacrifices, offerings, and prayers. But without behavior that reflected God’s will, His Word was “I am not listening.” God desired them to turn from their wickedness, just like He desires for us to turn from our wickedness of attitude, lack of compassion and limited justice.
God has given us a ‘road-map’ to His true heart in verse 17: Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
Contrary to all the noise we hear, this is not a political problem, it is a humanitarian problem whose solution will reflect directly on the Christianity of this country. If we are looking for God’s true heart, then our prayers need to be “Cleanse us, Lord, and teach us Your will, guide us to do right, to seek justice, to defend those in need of defense, and embrace the cause of lost children and lost parents. Grant us a gentle and compassionate heart, and the strength to do the difficult thing that is right in Your eyes.”
How often has He told us that we must die to ourselves in order to embrace Him? We need to put our resolve where on our faith is. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
Monday — Jesus returns to the Temple, overturns the tables of the money changers and declares that the Temple is a “House of Prayer”. This enrages of the Priests and the teachers, but Jesus is protected by the crowd. He then returns to Bethany.
A thought for Holy Week — Be assured of God’s love for you. Seek by his grace to heal the damage of sin. Seek communion with him and with those who make up his Church and those who are not yet within. His love for all of us is unconditional. His joy is infinite. His mercy overflows. – Deacon Michael Bickerstaff
Closing Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, cleanse us, and teach us to learn Your will, guide us to do right, to seek justice, to defend those in need of defense, and embrace the cause of lost children and lost parents. Grant us a gentle and compassionate heart, and the strength to do the difficult thing that is right in your eyes. You are the Creator God of all things and we know that you will grant us the strength to be committed to what You have placed on our hearts. Restore to us, Lord, the joy of thy salvation; and uphold us with thy free spirit. Amen.
