July 28

Jul 28 – Today from Proverbs 28 we look at verses 9 & 13
"If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable. He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy."

Communication is a complex activity. Effective communication depends on two things, the ability of the one who is putting the information out and the ability of the one who is receiving information. There is much between the two that can alter the message. It takes practice to become a student of communication by being an effective listener ("Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry." James 1:19). One of the richest forms of communication is dialogue - the act of exchanging information. Because He is relational, God desires to dialogue with us. So much so, that He sent His only Son to die in our place so that we might be free from the condemnation of the sin that separated us from Him. That's commitment. Dialogue is what verse 9 is all about. If we are unwilling to listen to God, then we have chosen to terminate dialogue with Him. The prayers are not detestable because God is spiteful. God's not that way at all. The prayers are detestable because one has decided to stop listening to God and is interested only in getting what one can from Him on one’s own terms. That's not a relationship, that is self-rule and is based in sin - which is detestable to God.
"Well it doesn't sound like much of a relationship if God won't listen to me unless I allow Him to dominate me." That's an attitude - and attitudes are a huge destroyer of communications. Romans 13:10 says, "Love is the fulfillment of the law". 1 John 4:8 says "God is love." He doesn't seek to dominate, He wants to relate. He has already proven His commitment at Calvary. Think about it. Don’t you think He earned the right to be heard? When we choose to hold onto sin (disobedience to His law of which love is the fulfillment), we have stopped progress in our relationship with God. In verse 13 the word 'prosper' literally means to 'push forward'. We need to learn to listen to God. We need to get rid of our attitude toward God and agree with Him about those areas in our lives that have hindered our relationship with Him (that's called confession). Then we need to renounce those areas and turn away from them (that's called repentance). When we do that, we discover that God wasn't waiting for our confession in order to shame us. He already knew. He was waiting so that He could extend mercy, remove sin’s power to hinder, and have us 'push on' in our relationship with Him.
Unquestionably, we have the best deal in this relationship. It's definitely worth the effort.