In the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah says in chapter 55 verses 6-11,
6 Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near;
7 let 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.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the Earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the Earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
6 Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near;
7 let 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.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the Earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the Earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 "so shall My word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
Isaiah reminds us in verse 6 above to “Seek the Lord while He may be found.” It is true, so abundantly true, that our Lord is a patient God, but it is equally as true that His patience does have an end. Eventually, our chance for repentance and returning to Him will come to an end, which is why Isaiah pleads with us in verse 7 above to, “ . . . let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord.” Such an interruption in the Lord’s patience is not a matter of "if," but "when." That is why we are encouraged by Isaiah and others in the Holy Scriptures to seek the Lord while He may be found, and to repent of our sinful ways that have separated us from our God. Many times throughout God’s word we find the writers of the Scriptures intermittently referring to God's patience as something that "waits" for us. The Apostle Peter was no exception. He writes of those, " . . . that aforetime were disobedient, when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water:” (1 Peter 3:20) When the Deluge arrived according to God’s timetable, many who perished most likely felt that God "owed" them just a little more time to do what was right. But the truth of the matter is that God had given them sufficient time in which to repent of their evil ways, but due to their own stubbornness and rebellion they had no desire to change their wicked ways. Similarly, if we do not seek the Lord while He may be found then we, too, will have no grounds to lodge any complaints against God on the Day of Judgment. So why do you not take advantage today of the opportunity that God has given you to come to Him while you may find him? Or are you one of those whom the Apostle Paul asks, "Do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?" (Romans 2:4).
Isaiah reminds us in verse 6 above to “Seek the Lord while He may be found.” It is true, so abundantly true, that our Lord is a patient God, but it is equally as true that His patience does have an end. Eventually, our chance for repentance and returning to Him will come to an end, which is why Isaiah pleads with us in verse 7 above to, “ . . . let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord.” Such an interruption in the Lord’s patience is not a matter of "if," but "when." That is why we are encouraged by Isaiah and others in the Holy Scriptures to seek the Lord while He may be found, and to repent of our sinful ways that have separated us from our God. Many times throughout God’s word we find the writers of the Scriptures intermittently referring to God's patience as something that "waits" for us. The Apostle Peter was no exception. He writes of those, " . . . that aforetime were disobedient, when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water:” (1 Peter 3:20) When the Deluge arrived according to God’s timetable, many who perished most likely felt that God "owed" them just a little more time to do what was right. But the truth of the matter is that God had given them sufficient time in which to repent of their evil ways, but due to their own stubbornness and rebellion they had no desire to change their wicked ways. Similarly, if we do not seek the Lord while He may be found then we, too, will have no grounds to lodge any complaints against God on the Day of Judgment. So why do you not take advantage today of the opportunity that God has given you to come to Him while you may find him? Or are you one of those whom the Apostle Paul asks, "Do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?" (Romans 2:4).
May the Lord bless you!
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