Nothing like grace

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. (Isaiah 55:6-7)

Three thoughts for us to ponder this morning: 1) Seekers find God; 2) Those who seek also ask for what it is they have need of; and 3) Those who turn to God find he is generous beyond measure. How is it possible to receive what we did not have a means to find on our own, or have our prayers heard in the heavens? Maybe God answered that one for us in the next verse: "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine." Beyond anything you could imagine - seekers find, those with needs find them met, and forgiveness abounds where it is the least deserved.

Seek the Lord while you can find him. Does this mean we could miss the opportunity that is presented to us today by not seeking with an intensity that indicates our determination to find what it we need so desperately? I think there are times when we are 'more open' to receiving from God than at other times. It is as though the intensity of our search is magnified because of some external force exerting pressure upon us, or the internal struggles we find so overwhelming driving us to find a solution to our turmoil. Seekers know they have need of something and they search with the determination to find it. Those external or internal forces merely magnify the intensity of the search.

Call on him while he is near. Does this mean God goes away at times? If we are honest here, we probably just didn't see that he was moving us on from where we had become so comfortable and now we feel like he isn't all that 'near' to us anymore. God is always near to those who call upon him. We may not 'sense' his nearness at times, but that doesn't mean he isn't ever-present with us. So, call on him - he is nearer than you may think.

Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously. Does this mean we might not realize how much we need his forgiveness? It is possible we don't realize how wicked our ways have become until we turn fully into his face and behold the depths of his grace. When we finally behold him, we see the filth of our sin and fall at his knees seeking what we most need - mercy. Turn toward him and you will always find exactly what you have need of - even when you didn't realize how much you need what he offers. Just sayin!