Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Through His prophet Isaiah we hear God’s promise: “I am accessible. I can be found. I am near.” God invites all people to come to Him. He is saying, “If you are weary, come I will give you rest. If you are weak, come I will give you strength. If you are fearful and anxious, come I will give you peace. If you are laden with sin and guilt, come I will forgive you.” God’s arms are open like a yearning Father waiting and watching for His prodigal son to return home.
There is an urgency in these words, yet we seem to drag our feet in coming to God. Perhaps His promises do not sound good to us because He is talking about change. The prophet reminds us that coming to God involves abandoning our wicked ways and unrighteous thoughts. In other words, repentance. That word “repentance” has a sting to it. It means giving up our earthly security and, in recklessness of faith, relying on God. It means placing our lifestyle, our value system, and all our priorities under the critical light of God’s judgment. Repentance means coming to grips with the hard reality that we are not the kind of people God wants us to be, and that means we must forsake the gods we cling to for help, support, and meaning.
So, Isaiah tells us that it is safe to come before the Lord: “Let [the sinner] return to the LORD, that He may have compassion on him and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” We can come straight into the presence of the Holy God without fear we will be sentenced to hell (cf. Mt. 23:33).
So, why are we able to find God when we search for Him? The reason we can find Him when we search for Him is that He has already found us and claimed us as His own. He Himself has opened the way for us to return to Him for forgiveness and pardon.
How is this possible? God made it possible by sending His own Son to take upon Himself our sin, guilt, rebellion, corruption, and death on the cross. With a shout of triumph Christ Jesus rose from the tomb and gives us His victory over sin, death, and the devil. Still today our Lord continues to search for and find us, coming to us through His Spirit in Word and Sacrament in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Where does that leave us? In the best possible place, on our knees. “Lord, turn me and I shall be turned. Give me the gift of repentance that I may abandon my wicked ways and come to You. Transform me that I may be enabled to respond Your gracious invitation. Lord, make a new person out of me. Cause the Word of Christ to dwell in me richly. Give me Your Spirit so that I may hear Your Word and enable it to take root in my life and bring forth the fruits of joy, peace, hope, and a childlike heart.”
Grace Lutheran Church LCMS
825 North 1st West
Cheyenne Wells, CO, 80810-0728
Sunday Service begins at 9:00 AM
Reverend Steven Zandstra
