Today’s passage, Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near, is the Word given to Prophet Isaiah 2,700 years ago. In the passage, we can see the concept of time (i.e. while) mentioned twice.
"While" has a connotation of ‘opportunity.’ As there are opportunities in all things of the world, there is an opportunity called "Time" in our life of faith. That is why the Scripture tells us to "Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near." It means that we must receive salvation and blessings when we are given an opportunity to meet the Lord who gives us salvation and blessings. Now then, when do we have to meet the Lord?
1. We have to meet the Lord when we have sinful thoughts
Verse 7 says, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him; And to our God, for He will abundantly pardon."
There is no descendant of Adam who can claim to be without sin, ethically or morally. If there is one who claims to be sinless, it is of conceit and pride. When I realize that I am truly a sinner I can finally accept God as My Lord. Psalm 103:12 says, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." Also, Isaiah 38:17 tells us, "Lo, for [my own] welfare I had great bitterness; It is Thou who hast kept my soul from the pit of nothingness, for Thou hast cast all my sins behind Thy back." Furthermore, Isaiah 44:22 says, "I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud, and your sins like a heavy mist…," and Jeremiah 31:34 says, "…for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
Can we not understand that God completely forgives our sins? The beauty of Christianity is that God does not stop at merely rebuking the mankind. It introduces an even better way of life, way to eternal life. Where will that way lead us to? It leads us to the Lord. The Lord said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me."
The Bible tells us that sin is the cause of uneasiness, depression, and diseases. Meeting the Lord will liberate us from our sins. Meeting the Lord is to believe and accept Him as my Savior. We should not just be spectacles of Jesus, but we must accept Him into our lives like Zaccheus did as Jesus came to the city of Jericho.
2. We have to meet the Lord when we are faced with hardship
To those who are experiencing failure and weariness, the Lord says, "Wait for the Lord" (Isa. 40:28-31). Psa. 50:15 says, "And call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me." We are living in a very wearisome time. The three kinds of weariness we are suffering are as follows. (1) Economical weariness: everyone is worried and concerned about their financial state. (2) Physical weariness: everyone is tired physically and the earth is exhausted from polluted air, horrible traffic, global warming, etc. (3) Mental weariness: everyone is suffering from mental loneliness, emptiness, and depression. There is void and emptiness in this world. That’s why they need the church where they can take their burdens off. Only Jesus can take off the burdens of weariness we attained from this world (Matt. 11:28).
Since we have encountered wearisome world, we have to work to meet Jesus Christ.
3. We have to meet the Lord daily
Can the life of joy and peace where there is no weariness be achieved without meeting the Lord? The Bible tells us that the Levites praised the Lord day after day with loud instruments(2Chr. 30:21) and entered the house of the Lord daily (2.Chr. 31:16). Why did they praise the Lord and enter into the temple daily? It’s because true peace comes only when we praise and meet with the Lord.
Children of God must meet with God daily. Psalm 68:19 says, "Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, The God who is our salvation. Selah." We should not be lazy in meeting the Lord, who would take away our heavy burden. We need to meet Him through daily Word and prayer. When we cast away all the empty dreams and dwell in the Lord with our spirit and soul, He will bless us until we are satisfied. Let us meet the Lord in this holy temple.
We must meet the Lord today and forever. Psalm 96:2 says, "Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. "When we meet the Lord by daily meditating on the Word, praying, praising, giving thanks, and witnessing the Word, we will receive blessings of spiritual and physical health and prosperity. We will not lack anything (Psa. 23:1). Thus, we need to meet the Lord daily.
Conclusion
We need to meet the Lord. And when we meet the Lord, we must not part again. We need to walk with Him through the wisdom that He gives us. We need to pray in order to meet Him daily. Only through prayer can we be prosperous spiritually and physically. The blessing of meeting the Lord is to be governed by Him and to live in His bosom. It is walking with Him. May all of you pray that you would meet Him every day!
