by Jon Burnett
In verses 1-5, Isaiah speaks of calling upon the Lord for his love and new covenant. In verse 3 he says, �Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.� This captures perfectly the entire hope of Judaism. As long as they continued to call upon God and were steadfast in his law, they would be saved. This �love of David� would be an everlasting covenant to them.
Isaiah goes on to say that the Lord�s compassion is not without obligations on the part of those who wish to receive it. In verse 6 he says, �Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.� God has given each of us a gift, but it is up to us to unwrap that gift and utilize it in our lives for his glory. We must seek the Lord. When we search for our God, he will provide ways for him to be found. We learn in this text that God is near to us, only a short distance away. It�s just up to us to meet him halfway.
God�s blessings are eternal and lasting. In verse 10 and 11 we read, �For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth�so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty.� God�s word is like rain. It refreshes us and brings to us the necessary water for life. This water analogy is one continued in verse one when God says, �Come, everyone who thirsts.� God�s word provides a continued influence of God on earth. As long as we follow is word, it bears fruits and flourishes, �and it shall succeed in the thing for which I sent.�
In the simple elegance of his style, Isaiah then closes with our response to God�s boundless grace, �For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands� (v 12). It is in God�s boundless grace through Christ that we find our joy and peace. All of God�s creation rejoices in Christ, their Savior. Whether it is Christians through song and praise to God, or even the mountains and trees by their mere existence, the awesome power of our God can be seen.
Isaiah speaks highly of those who call upon God. Christians experience an everlasting covenant with God through Christ. He is near to us and it is up to us to take that step toward him. Once we�ve taken that step, his word guides us to the peace and joy found only in Christ. Let us pray that God allows each of us to seek and find him, and then take that step to allow ourselves to live by his word.