“I am the Lord, and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness…” Isaiah 45:18b-19a
Have you ever been looking for something that turns out to be right under your nose? This is an entertaining little drama presentation that plays out in our home life quite frequently. It usually goes something like this. Step one, an item goes missing at the very penultimate moment I need it the most. Step two, I yell out to Margie and ask her where it is because somehow, I assume she knows where everything I need in the universe lies. Step three, she tells me exactly where it’s at but I convince myself I’ve already looked there a million times. Step four, I finally go and look in the place she spoke of, and well, there it lies…right under my nose. The thing I was desperately seeking was there all along, reclining calmy upon the surface, simply waiting to be found. And Almighty God is not oblivious to this human drama, for today in Isaiah chapter 45 He alludes to just this. The fact that no matter where we may be looking; what we seek, what we need, what our soul is crying out for…is always right under our nose.
I always love to study through the books of prophecy, the idea of a servant of the Lord delivering the very Words of God is beyond powerful to me. The Words I am reading in chapter 45 of Isaiah today are the very Words of God being delivered to a world in need some 2000 years later. And as God delivers a message about the power, might, majesty, and awe of Himself, He does not deliver a message that is too grand to grasp. He does not present Himself as the unapproachable Creator of all, but a God that is easily found. Our God, our Creator, our Savior…is easily found. The question is, as your soul is instinctually crying out for the pure, perfect truth of God, are you frantically looking the world over for the answer while the life-giving, life-redeeming Word of God simply sits right under your nose?
No matter what the world will tell you today, God is not hard to find. How do I know this? Well, because He tells me right here in Isaiah. He has not made His message of truth and hope some type of cryptic James Bond message, typed in code and only meant for certain eyes before it explodes into flames. It is right here, in the open, for all to read. And on top of that He tells us this very same message in many other places in His Word.
“I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.” Proverbs 8:17
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13
“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalms 9:10
“Come near to God and he will come near to you.” James 4:8
“But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29
Folks, if you are searching high and low for God today, desperate to find the perfect plan He has just for your life, stop looking and be still. Stop the desperate search. For God is not difficult to find for the heart that is truly seeking Him. Stop, be still, pray for God to be found and then simply look to the nearest Bible, pick it up and start reading. You see, God tells us He is only as far as the very Words that He spoke into existence. He is only as far as we make Him, no farther. Today, I challenge you to have a conversation with Almighty God for 30 days in a row. Accept the 5 minute challenge and commit to read your Bible for 5 minutes a day, every day, for one month. And as you start your time every day with the Lord, do this. First, remove all distractions. Refuse to let the world compete for your time with God any longer. Give God your best, dedicated, uninterrupted time. That means no cell phone sitting at your side beeping every 10 seconds, no tv blaring the negativity of the day’s news, and no work incessantly calling you away, just you and Him. Second, as you are now still, pray that God would make His Words come alive to you through His Holy Spirit. God’s Word will speak if you move beyond your earthy ears and learn to listen with your spiritual ears. And finally, step three, listen, learn and do. If you are desperately seeking the Lord, He will be found. And as He is found He will have a message for you. Have some pen and paper handy and as He speaks, write it down. Listen to that message, learn from it, and then do what He says in great obedience.
It’s almost as if God is screaming off the pages of scripture, ‘this ain’t rocket science people!’ He promises over and over that for those that seek them with desiring hearts, He will be found. Stop looking all over the world today for answers and solution that won’t work and simply go to the answers that lie right under your nose.
“God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us.” Acts 17:27
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