Hear the word of the LORD,
you rulers of Sodom!
Give ear to the teaching of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!
"What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?
says the LORD;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
and the fat of fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs, or of he-goats.
"When you come to appear before me,
who requires of you
this trampling of my courts?
Bring no more vain offerings;
incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and sabbath and the calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
Your new moons and your appointed feasts
my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me,
I am weary of bearing them.
When you spread forth your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen;
your hands are full of blood.
Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your doings
from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
defend the fatherless,
plead for the widow.
"Come now, let us reason together,
says the LORD:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
But if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be devoured by the sword;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
Isaiah 1:10–20 (RSV)
A parishioner once came to the pastor's study in great distress. They related to their pastor how heart-sick they were that their worship seemed so lifeless. Try as they might, their words rang hollow. Their faith seemed to be a fraud that God clearly could see. They had read this passage from Isaiah and now trembled at the thought of God who would not hold guiltless those whose worship was a charade.
The pastor asked if they could read the passage from Isaiah aloud. They did, though it was painful for the parishioner to read the words of Isaiah. 'This is how I feel in worship! These past weeks have been agony for me. How can God love someone as empty as I am?'
The pastor let the silence between them linger for a time, silently praying for the anguished soul before him. 'Please understand what I am about to say. I am not worried about you, your faith, or your salvation. Yes, you are in a desert time right now, where every effort to love, praise, and pray to God rings hollow. I cannot tell you how long it will last; only the Father knows. A desert time, a dry time in faith, is no sin. It is common to all believers, some more so than others. The Father's love is still very much alive for you, even if you cannot sense it now.'
The parishioner was confused; they saw themselves as falling under the judgment of God. The terror of God's wrath was genuine to them. 'Yes, God's wrath is a fearful thing,' said the pastor, 'but you are missing an essential point in this Word from God. God speaks to those comfortable souls in their self-satisfaction that they do not see they have ceased to believe. True, they say the right words, perform the right acts of worship, but their hearts are far from holy fear. They take the love of God for granted, going about their lives, however they chose. If God can not shake them from their folly, they will certainly perish.'
'This is not you. You are struggling in the desert where even the Lord's Prayer seems like dust and ashes in your mouth. The self-satisfied don't even notice that their faith has died within them. Not you. You are longing for the faith, pleading with God to restore you and bring you out of this dry land. Though you may not realize it, even the prayers that seem so weak and false to you now are among the sweetest the Father hears. You long to have the true life of faith alive again. It is, for your heart has the holy fear of God, you still seek after Him even when it seems as if all blessings have fled, you still seek the Father."
We all have those desert times where worship, prayer, and love of God appear to have left us. Even if we are tempted to give up in despair, God is still with us, and the desert time will end. We are to be more fearful of the times when we are so at ease, so self-satisfied that we play at worship, prayer, and love for God, but it has no meaning in our hearts.
Jesus has come for those in the desert place, who long to love God. The Father's love poured out on us through our Lord Jesus will water our thirsty souls. Thanks be to God.