JUNE PRAYER GUIDE JUNE 13 – READ ISAIAH 1:10-15. Now that is a ‘word from the Lord!!’ Imagine that. Let me update what God is saying here and remember He is addressing His own people – not some pagan society. Here goes – the word of the Lord – ‘God says – your worship songs, communion gatherings, shouting ‘amen’, applause – don’t do a thing for Me. Keep it. Your coming into My house to worship – stay at home. Keep your offerings and tithes – go out and feed your face or something. All the big days – Christmas, Easter, special programs, prayer assemblies – cancel them – they are nothing but a burden to Me. I’m tired of them. When you pray and fast I’m telling you now you are wasting your time – I’m not going to listen and I won’t answer – I don’t care if you go four days straight.’ Okay how would you like that word spoken in our gathering? How would you respond if in an intimate time of prayer the Spirit spoke and uttered that word of the Lord? I mean, is God having a bad day or what? What would prompt such ire? Well God is speaking and He is not happy and He wants everyone to know what the burr is under His saddle. It’s there in verse 13. The New American Standard translates the verse most accurately – it says ‘I cannot endure Iniquity and the solemn assembly.’ God is not proposing a ‘got-to-be-certified-sinless’ pass to get into worship gatherings. He knows better and understands the need for grace. It is not ‘iniquity in the solemn assembly’ that is an impossible criteria and in fact some solemn assemblies are held specifically to deal with the iniquity in the solemn assembly! It is ‘iniquity AND the solemn assembly.’ It’s not that sin was in the room when they gathered for worship or came in prayer – it’s that they were okay with it. They didn’t address it. They winked rather than repented. They excused rather than confessed. They presumed upon grace instead of being transformed by it. They sang praise songs, had Bible studies, held prayer gatherings - but all with veiled hearts, hidden agendas and secret sins. God wanted nothing to do with it. Still doesn’t. You want to see your spiritual life soar? Want to get God’s full attention? Wish to see the flow of heaven’s blessing? Wish to see more prayers answered? Want your worship to be a genuine and transforming encounter with the Risen and Holy Christ? Get real with God. Really real. No pretense. No shows. No façade. No hiding or justifying sin of any sort in any measure. He is holy. Light without darkness or shadow. Yes – it will require some humility and some brokenness. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. Psalm 51:17. Start wearing that to worship and bringing that to Your meeting with God in his word and in prayer and see what happens. Pray that verse today for yourself and our church community. Pray that also for our world leaders.
Posted on: Fri, 13 Jun 2014 10:00:01 +0000
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