Isaiah 55:6-7- Seek the LORD Now!
Seeking, here, means diligently searching out. You might not seek a crumb that fell on the floor, but you would a gold coin. Calling, here, means a crying out to someone. It’s a strong crying out, an earnest and heart-felt one. You must do this when He may be found. He is present in many situations, kindly inviting sinners to Himself. It is in the preaching of the Word, in the sacraments, when a friend speaks to you of Jesus, when He puts into you longings for Him, and in many other situations. You must do this while He is near. He is Immanuel – God with us. He has taken the initiative, in giving promises in His Word. He is present wherever you are, and can and will see you when you seek and hear you when you call, and will receive you in Christ. All this implies that there will be a time when He will not be found or be near. Think of Jesus’ own teaching in the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). You may come to death, after which is judgement (Hebrews 9:27), not another chance.
If man be totally unable to do godly things, how can God make this exhortation? It is because He works in the preaching, teaching, and hearing of His Word. He is at work within you both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). Just as the lame man heard and believed and stood up with ankles unable to do it, in faith in Christ, at the command of Peter and John (Acts 3:1-10), so elect sinners may and will seek, call, find, and be heard, and received. God commands all this, and has made abundantly clear that He will not refuse any who seek Him and call to Him in Christ. This has been the message and shall be the message of this entire chapter.
As we see in Psalms 14 and 53, as well as other portions of Scripture put together by Paul in Romans 3, man’s heart is full of deceit and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). Man’s way continues as it has since the Fall. His goal is his own glory and domination, his motivation is self love, and his standard is his own conception of right and wrong that is measured by His pleasure. He is unrighteous in that he not only does not heed the Law of God, but flouts it and delights to do so (Romans 1:32). The gracious call to such, however is to turn, with the amazing assurance that there will be mercy and abundant pardon. It is not that God will do a reset, or only forget about things. He is just and righteous! Someone must pay, and Someone does, that being the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 3:26).
Questions
- Is there a time when it is too late to seek God?
- What does God promise in these verses?
Prayer Points
- Pray that those around us would turn to God before it is too late.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.