18 If I regard iniquity in my heart,
The Lord will not hear.
19 But certainly God has heard me;
He has attended to the voice of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer,
Nor His mercy from me! (Psalm 66:18-20 NKJV)
Many word uses in the Bible are quite interesting. In today’s passage the New King James Version, like many others, uses “regard iniquity” to mean that we are harboring sin. It is referring to repetitive sin that we are not giving up or that lingers in the heart and points to God not hearing us when we do this. However, the Palmist goes on to say, “But certainly God HAS heard me … He who has not turned away from my prayer.”
God definitely wants us to turn away from all of our sin, but He will not turn away from us. Yes, address a repetitive sin or one you harbor in your heart, show God that His word and path mean more to you. We need to prayerfully address these sins and strive to shift our thinking to something higher, something of God and not of the world.
Reflect on: Iniquity you regard in your heart and how you might turn from this sin. Ask for God’s help.
