Seek the Lord

“Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” –Isaiah 55:6-7

These verses should serve as a comfort and a warning to all people. They are a comfort because the Lord is available. He may be found. He is near. If only men would turn from our wicked ways and unrighteous thoughts, and would return to the Lord, they would find that He is the God of all mercy. They would experience his abundant pardon. But this also serves as a warning. There is coming a day when God will not be available. The time will be too late to turn from sin and seek the Lord. Judgment Day will arrive. And I believe it will arrive soon.

The unbeliever is running out of time to repent. Listen to the words of the apostle Paul, “Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Corinthians 5:11). Judgment is coming, and that is our motivation for ministry. We must urge people to turn from sin and call upon the name of the Lord for salvation. In a world where the vast majority has never even heard that God is calling men everywhere to repent and turn to Jesus, we do not have time to waste.

There is no greater calling for our lives then to evangelism. And if you are a believer, you are commanded to go preach the gospel to every living creature (Mark 16:15). Evangelism is far greater than just a command. It is an honor. It is a privilege. It is a gift from God. 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 says, “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, no imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”

God is the God of everlasting, infinite mercy. He is awaiting sinners to forsake their wickedness and turn to Him in faith. You, my fellow-laborer, have been abundantly pardoned by the Lord, and you have been given the message and the ministry of reconciliation. Be faithful in persuading men of the truth. There is a world out there that desperately needs the abundant mercy of God. As David Platt has said, “Church we are plan A, and there is no plan B.”

Divine Forgiveness

"I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you. Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and glorified Himself in Israel." -Isaiah 44:22-23


God is merciful to His people. Israel had turned form the Lord to serve other gods countless times, yet God still was merciful to them. He blotted out the thick cloud of their transgressions and sins. I can imagine a great cosmic accounting page with all the sins of Israel on it. God blotted them all out. Paid in full. God had redeemed His people.

We are not much different from Israel. Here we sit, 2500 years after these words were penned, experiencing the mercy of God in Christ Jesus. God has blotted out our sins, cast them into the depths of the sea. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our sins from us. God has purchased us with the blood of Christ. To God be all the glory for his mercy! We can do nothing to deserve His divine forgiveness.

There is no more fitting response than to praise the Lord. Praise Him with singing! The Lord has redeemed His people. "Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities..." -Psalm 103:1-3

Eternal Security...a Marvelous Experience

“But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel; Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;” –Isaiah 43:1-3a

There is eternal security for the believer. But this is not just a doctrine we believe, it is a truth that we experience day by day. The truth of our salvation is that God has redeemed us from the slave market of sin. We have been bought with a price, and now we belong to the Lord our God. He owns us. Here in Isaiah, we see this truth in a very real way.

We are owned by the Lord because He created and formed us. So in a sense, we belong to him simply because we are His creation. Not only that, God has redeemed us. He has bought us back. He paid the price. Not only that, God has called us by name. To be specifically known by God is a remarkable thing. There are billions of people on the planet; and God still knows your name.

This God—your Creator, your Redeemer—says ‘Fear not.’ There is no need for the believer to fear anything in life. Indeed, whatever you go through—no matter how high the flood waters, no matter how strong the river current, no matter how big the fire, no matter how hot the flames, God will be with you. Indeed, eternal security is not just a doctrine we believe, but it is a truth we experience day by day. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” –Romans 8:28

Power for the Weak

Isaiah 40:28-29 – “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary, His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.”

These verses truly amaze me. Each time I read them I try to wrap my mind around what they really mean. Think about it. God is in heaven. We are on earth. Here God is described as everlasting, Jehovah, Creator, He never faints or grows weary, and we can’t even know how much He understands or knows—not to mention the rest of the description of God in Isaiah 40:12-26. Yet in all His greatness we read that He gives power to the weak and increases strength to those who have no might.

It is a humbling thing to study the attributes of God. Look deeply into His perfections and you will see not only how great and vast He is, but also how incredibly small you are. Many people think themselves to be truly great and mighty, but they have never taken a good long look at the Lord of hosts, the everlasting God—the Creator. If you really think you are great, I want you to try something. Why don’t you try creating something? Start out small. Let’s see you create an amoeba. Oh, and by the way, start with nothing. Shouldn’t be too hard, right? After all, you do consider yourself to be great and mighty.

The point is that when anyone stands next to God and compares themselves to Him, they can’t measure up. In fact, it is not even close. How can a created being measure up to an infinite being? We are all weak. We are all without strength. We need the power of God. We need His might. In His grace and mercy He has provided exactly what we need if we are humble before Him. James 4:6 - “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

I praise God for His tremendous care for His people! Isaiah 40:11 – “He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.”

Glory and Strength for the Faithful

"In that day the LORD of hosts will be for a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of His people, for a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate." - Isaiah 28:5-6


LORD of hosts. It's probably my favorite name for God in the Bible. It gives me the picture of a warrior-king riding his war-horse at the front of the battle line. I see Him, the Almighty, leading the charge of the armies of heaven to the battle against evil. LORD of hosts. Commander in Chief of the angelic forces.

Here in Isaiah we find that the LORD of hosts will be a crown of glory and beauty to the remnant of His people. He will be their glory. He will be their pride. The remnant describes a small portion of people who remain faithful to God. The word is literally, 'residue.' God had spared a small portion of people from all the wreckage and destruction that had come upon the land of Israel. To those people, who trust in the Lord, He will be their glory.

He will be the strength of those who turn back the battle at the gate. This is the empowering of God's people. If the battle reaches the gate, you are in desperate need of help. It means you are on the verge of being overthrown. But at this last moment God empowers those who are faithful to Him and they are enable to turn back the battle. They change the outcome from defeat to victory, all because the Lord of hosts empowers them.

Perfect Peace

"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength." - Isaiah 26:3-4

I figure this is a good place to start. Focused on Him.

I, like most people, want to live a life of peace. I want to be comfortable, cozy, and warm in my little environment. Most days that desire is interrupted. In fact, I can't remember a day that I have ever experienced where I was shielded from negative encounters, personal sinfulness, or relational stress. I believe that is because I have a false definition of peace. My personal definition of peace is 'living life how I want it--with no interruptions." But this will never happen. It is a false view.

I discovered this morning as I was reading Isaiah that true peace is being able to weather any storm--to endure any trial. That sort of peace comes only from a mind that is fixed upon the LORD--Jehovah--through faith. We need an enduring faith in order to have perfect peace. This perfect peace is shown in complete trust in the God who is able to keep you through any storm. You can trust Him, in Him is everlasting strength.

Everlasting strength experienced through perfect peace that comes from enduring faith in the Lord.