READING: Isaiah 54-57, 1 Thessalonians 3-4
Several years ago, I was a volunteer firefighter in Kentucky. My dad had been a firefighter, too, and I had always wanted to follow in his steps in that role. I loved the training. I loved the camaraderie with my fellow firefighters. I loved knowing we had opportunities to help others. What I wasn’t prepared for (though I should have been, given this responsibility) was the sense of urgency that reverberated through all we did. Certainly, there were times of tedious work and boredom, but we knew to spring into action when the alarms went off. At that moment, we stepped into our training and did whatever the situation demanded. Adrenaline pumped through us, and it hit me that the men and women around me put their lives on the line every day. All of us lived under the urgency of the hour.
Today’s Old Testament reading also brings urgency to the task of following God. Listen to the words Isaiah wrote, and hear the call to respond quickly: “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call to him while he is near. Let the wicked one abandon his way and the sinful one his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, so he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will freely forgive” (Isa 55:6-7). In the context of inviting the people to receive God’s blessings, Isaiah reminded them that God gives no guarantee of always being accessible. They were to seek the Lord now, call on Him, turn from their sin, and return to the Lord–who would forgive them from His heart of compassion. That offer of grace, however, was not an open-ended one.
God does draw a line in the sand. Thus, we must repent today, and we must not miss opportunities to proclaim the good news to others.
PRAYER: “Lord, I don’t always live with a sense of urgency. Help me to turn fully to You today while You are near.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Isaiah 58-62, 1 Thessalonians 5