28 February • Tuesday of the First Week in Lent
Isaiah 55:6-11
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.
8. For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
9. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11. so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Meditation
The coronavirus, war, violence, and strained family relationships have provoked a rising tide of fear and an increasing sense of vulnerability in the peoples of the world. So, what are God’s people to do? Though the book of Isaiah was written to Israel, it has wonderful implications for believers today, because it reveals the character of God and His disposition to His people. God is speaking to a discouraged people in captivity, whose future was uncertain and whose life was hard.
1. Seeking God in Prayer
What does it mean to "seek the Lord"? It means "to seek with care, with diligence." People in our secular world do not "seek the Lord." But sadly, neither do many Christians. Are we seeking God diligently? It is dangerous to put off seeking God until a more opportune time. There is a time to seek him, and that time is now. Tomorrow you may not feel that same hunger and intensity. Prayer is one of the most wonderful and powerful avenues to pursue God. Without prayer, it is a real illusion to pretend to live a spiritual life. This Lenten season, reflect how good is your relationship with God in prayer?
2. Seeking God in Repentance
Verse 7 teaches us that turning from sin is also a vital part of seeking the Lord. If we are seeking God, we will not only forsake our wicked “ways,” but also our wicked “thoughts.” There will not be any area of our life, not even the hidden corners of our mind where we are allowing sin to run free. Repentance requires a lifestyle change. If we do not try to cleanse ourselves from ungodly thoughts and ways, then we are not really seeking God.
Prayer
O my God, teach me how to seek You in prayer and put my heart in contact with Yours. Teach me to withdraw, not only materially, but also spiritually, from all the attractions that this world offers.
Action
Jesus calls us today to leave behind the ways and thoughts that have clouded our vision of Him. He wants us to seek him, to see his face and be changed by it. That is our inheritance as disciples of Jesus Christ. Knowing God intimately and walking with him is the greatest blessing we can know.
Rev Gino S. Philip
Vicar
Mar Thoma Syrian Church in Singapore
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