#DailyDevotion Seek The LORD While He Can Be Found
Isa. 55:6-9 6Search for the LORD while He can be found; call on Him while He is near. 7Every wicked man should give up his way, and every evil man what he’s thinking. If he comes back to the LORD, He will be merciful to him, and to our God, He will forgive him ever so much. 8“My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways,” says the LORD. 9“As high as heaven is above the earth, so far are My ways above your ways and My thoughts above your thoughts.
Isaiah tells the Israelites, “Search for the LORD while He can be found; call on Him while He is near.” The LORD was still in their midst. The priest of the LORD and his prophet were still there with the Word of the LORD. That would not be the case in the not too distant future when the LORD sends the Assyrians down upon them in vengeance and sends them into exile. There, they would not have priest or prophet any longer because they did not make use of them while they were available. We too should make use of the pastors of the places in which we live who rightly proclaim the Word of the LORD and seek the LORD Jesus Christ while still may be found. Far and few between is the LORD present in places where the name of Jesus Christ once reigned where men may seek the LORD in Word and Sacrament. We are fast becoming like those places as our hearts grow cold and men seek to please themselves instead of the LORD Jesus.
In what manner were the Israelites called to seek the LORD while he is near and could be found? They were called to come back to him and seek him in repentance. They were called to give up their wicked ways and their evil thinking. Because they no longer believed the LORD and worshiped him their actions became like any other people, ruthless and cruel, black become white and white became black. What was evil in the LORD’s eyes became good in theirs and what was good to the LORD became evil to them. In his great mercy, the LORD sends Isaiah and the prophets to this people and calls them to repentance.
The LORD Jesus Christ also calls to us to seek him in repentance. Every day while it is today, we should examine our thoughts and our actions against the will of God in the Scriptures. Where our thoughts and actions differ, we need to give up those ways and find forgiveness and mercy from through the LORD Jesus Christ even as Isaiah promised to the Israelites they turned from their idols and turned back to the LORD. Forgiveness and mercy are the ways of the LORD. The LORD does not excuse evil and wickedness. He does forgive and have mercy on those who have fallen into that way. He does call us to cease those wicked ways and evil thoughts. However, not wanting to offend people and drive them from Church we have ceased to call sin sin and people to cease from those sins. But where we have done that, we have lost people from the Church anyway because if their sin is no longer sin, then they no longer need forgiveness for those sins and other sins as well. He, the LORD is withdrawing his Word from us even as he withdrew it from the Israelites who did not want it. Nevertheless, the LORD’s thoughts are not our thoughts and his ways not our ways. They are above our thoughts and ways. His thoughts and ways is that of mercy, kindness, love and forgiveness for those who turn to him and repent. So you too, seek the LORD while he may be found in repentance.
Heavenly Father, so move our hearts so we may rightly repent of our sins and seek you in Christ Jesus our LORD and find your in his name. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.