SEEK THE LORD …

ISAIAH 55:6-7 NEW LIVING TRANSLATION

“Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.”

            The Prophet Isaiah is offering mankind salvation, freedom from their sins.  This offer is from the Lord with Isaiah being the conduit.  As with most things from the Lord, one needs to look at them from a spiritual perspective.  We are asked to seek God, calling on him while he’s near to us.  This may look as though the Lord is moving away from us, but actually the reverse is true.  Sin is a constant temptation, especially to someone who has not yet accepted Christ as Lord and Savior of their life.  Without forgiveness we are the ones who begin to pull away.  The Lord is saying that before it is too late you call out to him.

            Psalm 103:8 reveals a very important element in God’s character: “The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.” (NLT) God’s mercy and compassion provide healing in that they are administered like a salve to our bruised and battered hearts.  We are encouraged to turn to God and receive his forgiveness.  We have nothing to fear as we approach the Lord for he loves us with a never ending love and wishes for us to come near.

            It is only thru the Holy Spirit that we can actually change our behavior and thought patterns.  The human will can discipline itself to change, but it will be a losing battle in the end because they have no moral or ethical foundation to build upon.  Mortal man’s natural inclination is toward sin.  Sin is perceived as pleasurable, God restrictive, yet nothing could be further from the truth.  It is the ignorant mind that has that perception and because of their own misunderstanding, remain in ignorance.

            This prophetic message is all-inclusive. It’s for those who have either never been redeemed and have been redeemed yet after a time have turned away. This message is for Jews and Gentiles because in verse 5 it speaks of “people unknown to you” who “will come running to obey.”  Those unknown people are the non-Jews of the world, which by definition are the Gentiles.  Seek God today before you move far from him and end up separated from him for all eternity. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible, published by Tyndale House.