Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Isaiah 55:6-7 Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
THE FAITHFUL WORD OF OUR FAITHFUL GOD
Certainly we have all seen many things which show us and remind us that the world we live in is an evil one. We hear about shootings and murders, thefts and scandals. We see marriages fall apart. We feel the strong blow dealt by disease and sickness, and ultimately will face even death. Sin runs rampant all around us.
In addition to the sin which is all around us in the world we also have to struggle with the sinful nature that is within each of us. For we are not just living in a world of sin, but we ourselves are constantly
fighting against our sinful flesh. Yes, we are all sinners, and we are in constant need of God's forgiveness and grace. We have come to know and understand that sin and unbelief lead to certain disaster -- not just in this life, but more seriously, in the life to come.
But the LORD offers each of us an invitation to seek Him. Isaiah reminds us that we need to seek the LORD now, because we just don't know when the time will come that the LORD will no longer be found, so we should always be prepared. But how do we do that? Isaiah points to two things: Turn from evil in repentance, and turn to the LORD in His mercy.
At first this may seem like something which we do. But in the verses immediately following Isaiah tells us that this is all accomplished by the Word. Through Isaiah the LORD paints a picture of the winter snow and the spring rains which fall upon the earth. The water causes things to grow before it finally evaporates and starts the cycle over again. The Word is also like the rain, "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."
Through the preaching, reading and hearing of the Word, faith is created, hearts are turned to repentance, and souls are turned to God and His mercy.
The Word of God is never used in vain!
