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. – Isaiah 55:6-7
There are instances in daily life where the Lord may be found. These places are never the usual surroundings. Many would assume His location to be within church walls or the yellowed pages of dated devotionals. Yet God is bigger, without boundary, and frustratingly elusive at times. We must dig into the situations we find ourselves in, looking for a God moment, and when we do find His presence, be willing to camp there until we feel His Spirit move us on.
The author of Isaiah makes it clear that such presence is present but will not remain.
“While He may be found . . . “
“While He is near . . .”
At first, this can be a sobering thought. For a world like ours is painful with His presence, we can only imagine how heavy His complete absence would weigh. When we reflect on this passage, the Spirit encourages through it. The point is that He is found in our current state. He is here. In the mundane, the heartbreaking, and the anxiety. When we find Him, we must cherish those moments, grabbing hold stubbornly knowing that there will be a time in our own lifetime, when He will be hidden.
We cannot discuss this passage without speaking of compassion and pardon. He pardons not out of a detachment to the true pain of sin, but out of a deep understanding of it. As a God of sorrows, Jesus has mourned and suffered with us. Therefore, He pardons out of knowledge, experiencing firsthand the release of the bondage of sin and death. He not only supplies such virtues to our undeserving souls, but He embodies such virtues.
He is compassion
He is pardon
Whenever we may come across these virtues in our world, we must take time to bathe in them for they are divine. These are not simple matters to be pushed aside in our daily business, but to be ingested, pondered, and yes, enjoyed. We multiply these traits when we take and share with others. This in turn multiplies His presence in a world desperate for hope.
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