Between You and Him
Between You and Him
Isaiah 59:1-2a
Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God.
The optimism with which Isaiah begins this chapter quickly dissolves into a scathing judgment against rebellious Israel, but we’d be remiss not to reflect on the power of this anthropomorphic imagery here. Remember that God doesn’t have fleshy five-fingered hands with tendons and metacarpal bones like we do, nor does He have openings in His head with eardrums and auditory nerves and cochleas for hearing either, yet He graciously condenses truths about Himself into the language of our own human anatomy so that we can better understand His divine power. So, what’s the picture here, friend? Simple: that sin doesn’t loosen God’s grip on our lives, but it loosens our grip on His love. Rebellion never dulls God’s ears to our plight, but it dulls our ears to His promise.
Christian, remember: the Lord’s hands are ever reaching and holding us fast, and His ears are ever hearing our deepest thoughts and longings, but we won’t behold His abiding presence as long as our hands are closed and our ears are stopped.