Saying "yes"

 This week's verses are Psalm 66:16-20:

Come! Listen, all you who are loyal to God.
I will declare what he has done for me.
I cried out to him for help
and praised him with my tongue.
If I had harbored sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
However, God heard;
he listened to my prayer.
God deserves praise,
for he did not reject my prayer
or abandon his love for me.

 These verses are interesting, because in them are two cases of saying "yes" to things that we don't often consider. The Psalmist was in a desperate situation. We don't know exactly what he was suffering, but he cried out to God for help. It may have been some trial of temptation or season of suffering. But he cries out to God for help, and praises him for being God.

And that's where we come to the first "yes." He says that if he had harbored sin in his heart, God would not have listened to his prayer. Other translations phrase it as saying if he had "cherished sin" or if he had "seen sin as pleasant." In other words, if we know we have a certain sin, and we give it a place instead of getting rid of it, it can affect our relationship with God.

Imagine someone asking for marital counseling without any intention of giving up their mistress on the side. Would the counselor waste his time? Probably not. If our loyalties are divided, our sincerity and commitment can be questionable. If the goal is a healthy relationship, that can be a problem.

So in this case, we're saying an enthusiastic "yes" to something we should be saying "no" to. Harboring something is giving it a place, like letting a ship dock and unload. Do we harbor sin in our heart? Does that sin of ours seem harmless to us, or even appealing? Cut the ropes! Confess it to God and get rid of it, so that you're not insincere in your commitment to him!

And now we come to the second "yes." God has the right to refuse us when we approach him. He is a Holy God. We are filthy in our sin. It would be perfectly reasonable for him to refuse our call and just not listen to us. And yet he says "yes" to our call and listens to our prayer!

He doesn't abandon his love for us, even when we abandon him for our sin. When we confess and try to put things back together, he welcomes us back! He doesn't block us forever, but is willing to forgive and help us. He deserves praise for that, because most of us aren't wired that way.

So when you go to pray tonight, take some time to consider the sin in your life. Is there anything you've been tolerating, or even making space for, that maybe you shouldn't be? Confess it and commit to changing your behavior and attitude. Before you ask God for help, make a decision not to look favorably on that sin.

Then once you've gotten that out of the way, and you and God have come to an agreement and made peace, then ask for what you need or want. He will listen to your prayer! And don't forget to be thankful that the most powerful being in the universe is willing to accept you and not reject you, and that he is willing to hear your prayers and take them under consideration.