January 13

Seek the Lord

Isaiah 55

KEY VERSE: Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

-- Isaiah 55:6

Water tastes better in some places than others. Visiting my grandson in Arizona, I noticed in his kitchen several huge bottles of water. He explained that the local water, while safe, tasted bitter to him and he simply could not drink it. So he bought his drinking water.

Each of us longs for water and food that tastes good, that satisfies. But even the finest "spring" water and the most exquisite cuisine cannot satisfy the deep longing of the soul for peace with God. God has put a yearning for himself in our hearts which he alone can satisfy.

Shortly after September 11 a young woman called me. She gave me her name, saying, "I do not know you and I have not visited your church, but a friend gave me your name. My friend said you could help me." I asked how I might help her.

She said, "I am single, 28 years old, and I need to receive Jesus Christ into my heart and become a Christian. I was raised a Roman Catholic but have not gone to church or practiced the faith for more than 10 years. I am miserable with my life now, and I know I need Christ."

A few days later I counseled with her, explained God’s plan of salvation, and invited her to open her heart to receive Christ as Savior. We knelt and prayed together and she asked Christ to forgive her sins and to become Lord of her life. In a moment of time, she moved out of darkness into light and became a child of God.

Under the loving counsel of a mature Christian woman, this new believer began to drink the living Water of Christ. She began to delight in the living Bread as her hunger and thirst for righteousness was satisfied.

In short, she sought the Lord while he could be found. She called upon him while he was near, and she was saved.

Should we not, with great confidence, invite those around us who are lost to seek the Lord while he may be found?