December 3 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

The Prince of Peace, the Son of David, was announced by Isaiah. The story of his coming was proclaimed by the evangelists, each with a different emphasis. Jesus made God's kingship real in this world. Today, the kingdom is here—and it is coming.

Bible Reading:

Isaiah 59: 1–8

Bible Text:

The arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.... Your iniquities have separated you from God (Isa. 59:1–2).

Devotional:

The people in Jerusalem noticed that there was an invisible wall, a huge distance, between them and God. They cried for salvation, but it didn't come. It seemed as if God could not reach them. And no matter how loudly they prayed and how much they fasted, God did not seem to notice.

Yes, God is far away, the prophet said. But God did not create the distance; you did! "Your iniquities have separated you from your God." Your hands are stained with blood, and no one calls for justice. You trample the laws of God. You hatch your plans to hurt others. Your evil plots are as deadly as the eggs of a poisonous snake. Crush an egg, and out comes a snake! (v. 5).

God is neither too weak to save you nor too deaf to hear you. But you must repent of your sins, clean house, restore honesty and truth, and then pray to the Lord.

Sin is deadly because it separates us from God, who is the source of life. Sin is a knife that cuts our relationship with God and all our other relationships too. Everything gets broken. No trust is left, no fidelity.

But the tragic thing is that frequently we don't even see what our sins have done. We might still wonder, with Israel of old, "Why doesn't God listen when I pray?" If God seems faraway, you may be sure it wasn't he who moved.

Have you moved?

God is the same today as in the days of Isaiah. He is holy. He hates evil. And he is merciful.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.