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, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:6-7
Not one of us has immunity against sin, and sooner or later (or every day), we all fall short. It doesn’t matter how long we have been saved or how sure we are of our faith — there are days when frustration or temptation takes hold and pulls us along like a current. We find ourselves saying things or doing things that we normally wouldn’t. The realisation of our sin can be immediate, bringing us feelings of disgust or shame at our words or actions. Sometimes we turn instantly to God and beg for His forgiveness, but at other times, when the regret is so deep and ‘sorry’ seems so inadequate, we hide from God instead.
This is often the case when what we are sorry for is something we have apologised for before — several times perhaps, maybe many times. We wonder how God can possibly take another apology seriously. We ask ourselves how many times we can seek forgiveness for the same thing before mercy runs out. This passage in Isaiah answers that question beautifully. The Lord’s compassion is already waiting for us, and He is near to receive us. Unlike us, He is not hiding. If we look to Him, we will see Him, and if we listen, I believe we will hear Him say — ‘Stop hiding; come and talk to me. Put this sinful behaviour behind you and don’t go back to it. I love you, and I know the sincerity of your heart. I forgive you.’
God knows every inch of us. He knows our hearts completely. He doesn’t just know where we’ve failed; He also knows the grief we carry over our failures. So, when we come in truthful repentance, He will not turn His back on us.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17
The psalmist found the depth of the Lord’s compassion during his own moment of deep contrition – and we can too. God’s love for us is vast – as the chorus says:
Wide, wide as the ocean, high as the heaven above;
Deep, deep as the deepest sea is my Savior’s love.
I, though so unworthy, still am a child of His care;
For His Word teaches me that His love reaches me everywhere.
God’s compassion cannot be measured. So, when sin happens, let’s not waste time hiding away. Let us return to the Lord and humbly receive His abundant forgiveness.
Chorus: Wide, Wide As The Ocean – written by Charles A. Miles (1914)
Picture credit: Photo by Hartono Subagio on http://www.pexels.com
Narrow Path Ministries 