Lent

April 7, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Isaiah 55:1-11

Seek the Lord while he may be found,
   call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake their way,
   and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,
   and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
   nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts. –Isaiah 55:6-9

When can the Lord not be found? I lean toward the idea that God is always accessible, although, in a season of deep grief, I felt my prayers were not getting passed the ceiling of my home. After about a month, that feeling disappeared. During that time, I do not remember ever thinking that God was unresponsive. I was numb to God’s presence. God understands numbness, and we cannot allow numbness to rule our lives.

There are numerous ways we move away or feel displaced from God. Isaiah counsels us to return to the Lord in all that we do that separates us from God so that God can love us, and we can know God loves us. God knows us better than we know ourselves. (See Psalm 139) . Scripture advises us to wait on the Lord at least 21 times. I think that is because God’s timing is more accurate than ours, and God’s understanding of our situation may be more clear than ours. God’s thoughts are indeed not our thoughts, and thus God’s responses may be a surprise to us. We need to prepare ourselves for those surprises as we wait on the Lord.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for your loving concern for each of us as we grow in our ability to love ourselves and others. Amen.

https://biblehub.com/greek/988.htm

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.