Isaiah 30:19
Yea, O people in Zion who dwell at Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you.
What stands out in today’s verse is the immediacy of God’s response to our prayers. God is closer to us than water is to a fish, says St. Catherine of Siena. He dwells in the highest heaven, it is true, but also with the one who is contrite and humble of heart. The moment a person stops kidding around with himself and God and gets serious about acknowledging and repenting of sin is the very moment when God hears it and answers the prayer for forgiveness. Indeed, without God, you and I could never have offered the prayer or even had the moxie to say we were sorry, much less to get serious about doing the right thing. So if God is leading you to repent and listening intently when you do, is it even possible that He is then going to say “No” to your request for forgiveness and your request for grace to do better? Not a chance. Today, repent your sins, make a firm purpose of amendment and get cracking with what you should be doing. God will give you the grace to do it!
