THE PRAYER THAT drenched the floor with tears

Naughty but nice—or something more sinister? What is sin and how should we feel about it?

Ezra tore his clothes, threw himself on the floor and wept over sin. What had happened? The Israelites had finally returned home from exile, but the people, including the leaders and priests, had been intermarrying with their idol-worshipping neighbours.

Weeping over marriages might seem like a huge overreaction. But this practice rejected God Himself. Historically, marrying into idolatrous nations was what first led God’s people astray as they soon adopted the foreign gods, morals, laws and cultures. Ezra was devastated to see God’s people turning to walk down that path again.

Ezra saw sin—all sin—for what it really is. Big or little, secret or public, any rejection of God makes us guilty and unable to stand in His holy presence. His prayer allowed him to grieve before the Lord, peeling back sin’s attractive packaging and seeing the damage it causes.

Grieving over sin isn’t comfortable. It will force us to admit what sin really is and how it hurts God’s kingdom and us. But we will also find freedom as we see sin as God does, grieve over it, reject it and cling more tightly to our loving, forgiving God.

PRAYER: Nehemiah 1:4-11

ANSWER: Nehemiah 2:5-9