Isaiah 55:6-9

⁶ Seek Yahveh while he is letting himself be found; call him while he is being near. ⁷ A wicked one should abandon his road, and a sinful man his thoughts. And he should return to Yahveh, so that he may welcome him back with love, and to our God, because he will forgive profusely. ⁸ “Because my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your roads are not my roads,” a declaration of Yahveh. ⁹ “Because just like the sky is high from the vantage point of the land, so my ways are high from the vantage point of your ways, and my thoughts from the vantage point of your thoughts.”

God in low orbit

God is everywhere, and no one can ever escape his presence. But there is a sense in which God is also out there and other. He thinks differently than us, and he travels on different roads. It is vanity and presumption to think that we have God figured out. However, we also will be blessed with times when our great God chooses to orbit our lives with a rare proximity. The LORD’s message through Isaiah is that we should all seek him during those times, because they are rare indeed. If we ignore God while he is in low orbit, he may never come around again in our lifetime.

John the Baptist and Jesus both preached that people should repent because the kingdom of God had come near.[1] Paul, James and Peter also used the concept of God’s rare proximity as a motivation factor.[2] The urgency of the gospel message is highlighted by the reality that God’s grace will not always be available to forgive. The good news is that his grace is available today, and he can forgive profusely those who take advantage of the amnesty his grace allows.

LORD, we want to abandon the wicked road we are on; we want to stop thinking our sinful thoughts. This is us, turning back to you, while you are still close enough to welcome us back.

[1] Matthew 3:2; 4:17; 10:7; Mark 1:15; Luke 10:9, 11.

[2] Romans 13:12; James 5:8; 1 Peter 4:7.