“Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.”
Isaiah 55:6
Difficulties and devastation may drive us to our knees, but desperation will also drive us to the Lord—if we let it.
“Seek Him and call upon Him.”
They appear to be such simple things—this “seeking and calling upon God.” But, any who’ve labored in prayer, without any seeming answer, know how difficult they are at times.
The heart is cold. The eyes are dry. And, the faith seems old.
Heaven’s doors seem closed and God’s ear seemingly unhearing.
But, it’s in those times when Faith must keep seeking, knocking and asking—for the time will come when penitent, persistent prayer will receive what is needed (Mt. 7:7-11).
But, for now, silence is all that greets you when you pause to pray. You bow your head, close your eyes and “make your requests known unto God” (Phil. 4:6a).
Yet, nothing happens. No response. No “fire from Heaven” (I Kings 18:37-38; II Chron. 7:1). Only silence and quiet desperation.
It’s in those times, dear Pilgrim, that we must “seek the Lord and keep on seeking. Call and keep on calling.” Like Jacob wrestling with the Angel of the Lord at Jabbok, we cry “Lord, I will not let You go unless You bless me” (Gen. 32:26b). Or, like Hannah, “bitterness of soul has moved us to pray with many tears” (I Sam. 1:10). And, it moves us to surrender those things that we felt like we can’t live without (v.11).
Have you reached that point of desperation, Pilgrim?
Are you willing to release those things you want so you can receive that which God wants to give if it’s something completely different?
Until you are, it’s likely no answers will be forthcoming.
So, what petitions have you been presenting to the Lord that have still not been granted? Have you presented them to Him in faith? Have they been accompanied by thanksgiving (Phil. 4:6b), which will still remain if the answer is “No”?
Tough questions, aren’t they?
Most assuredly they are; but such questions have a way of stripping away the flimsy veneer of pious pretense and revealing what really lurks underneath the surface (Heb. 4:12).
Yes, difficulties have a way of driving us to our needs; but desperation also has a way of driving us to the Lord.
And, it’s in those moments that we “seek Him while He may be found and call upon Him while He is near.” Why not stop right now and do that, Pilgrim? He’s near—much nearer than you think. “Be still and know that He is God”. . .then pour your heart out to Him even as a small child would pour his/her heart out to a loving parent.
November 3, 2011
