Be Still Know
Isaiah 55:6 NLT
“Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.”
I am forever looking for things; important documents, such as my car insurance certificate. I do have a place to store these things, yet often when documents arrive I put them down in a sensible central place, then in a fit of tidying up I relocate them to a not so obvious place, failing to make the effort to put them where I know they need to be. Then, of course, once I need them, I cannot remember where I temporarily put them.
For many of us, we are grateful to God for the love we have freely received. Yet, while life trundles along merrily, we fail to take the time in developing our personal friendship with the divine. Then when trouble strikes, we discover that there is a relationship deficit in our knowledge and friendship with God. At a time of great need, we find that we struggle to connect with God and wrestle to discover his perspective. This is a point of great danger, for it is where we can despair and choose to blame as opposed to cling to God.
Isaiah urges us to seek God while he might be found. Relational space built in such times act as a reservoir in periods of drought. We’re able to draw from the riches of a mature friendship and rest in the everlasting arms of our heavenly Father while our world appears to collapse around us.
I recognise that taking time with God can feel as if it is as relevant and engaging as watching paint dry. Yet, no relationship grows without those involved taking time together. It is in my interest to seek after God and to call out to him, for I have no idea of what lies ahead. A friend recently described the last few weeks before his father died. Already losing contact with his immediate family, he continued to sing verses from familiar and remembered hymns, and eventually died with just such a hymn upon his lips.
QUESTION: Take some time actively to seek God. Gently rest and call out God’s name and declare your love and dependence upon him.
PRAYER: Lord, you said we do not live by bread alone. Help me to feed on your words today.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright C 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc, Wheaton, Illinois 60189 USA. All rights reserved