Isaiah 55:6 -7 Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.  Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God for he will freely pardon.

This is a cry from the heart of God through Isaiah the prophet. It is a cry of urgency that leaves no one out. It speaks to young and old, the thirsty, the hungry, the poor and to those who have money or work hard but experience only futility in their labor. Why? Because the emptiness is not physical, the drought is in the soul – the recesses of man which is spirit and which only fellowship with the Spirit of God can satisfy.

Every human being has need for pardon and cleansing and it is awesome to realize that God is ready, willing and able to do just that. All he asks is that we turn away from evil and turn to him. The call through Isaiah was addressed to the children of Israel. Since Jesus came into the world to save sinners, God commands us now to believe in his Son to gain abundant life. There is still a time factor involved. “While he may be found” actually means while we are still alive. Perhaps it is because of terrorism and similar events and the speed at which news travel nowadays but it seems to me that there is an outbreak of what I call ‘sudden death syndrome’. So now is your moment, not sometime future because there is no way of knowing how long your future is.

To have your sins forgiven and be at peace with God means that you are ready to spend eternity in his presence no matter what happens. If you continue to live, the promised return of Christ will then fill you with great hope and anticipation instead of trepidation. “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36).