Isaiah's repeated calls to "come" and to "listen" to God imply a recurrent showering of our lives with God's truth. One recent summer my state had been in an extended drought that left the ground rock-hard. Then when a thunderstorm dumped a quick, heavy rain, the ground's hardness prevented much of the water from being absorbed. The plants would have benefited more from a slow, all-day soaker.
Similarly, it is the slow, steady soaking of God's word that most effectively waters my life. If I go for long periods of time without drinking from God's word, I become increasingly hardened to God's voice. The prophet Isaiah warned: Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. (v.6)
A friend of author Philip Yancey wanted to know if God would forgive him if he dissolved his fifteen-year marriage that had produced three children and no crushing problems. Yancey didn't answer the question immediately, being afraid that a "Yes" answer would only strengthen his friend's resolve to end his marriage. As Yancey thought and prayed, he finally answered:
Can God
forgive you? Of course. You know the Bible. [But] what we have to go
through to commit sin distances us from God—we change in the very act of rebellion—and
there is no guarantee we will ever come back. You ask me about forgiveness now,
but will you even want it later, especially if it involves repentance?
Sin packs the
ground of our hearts, forming a hardpan between God and us. The longer our
rebellion, the thicker that barrier becomes. Yancey's friend steeled his heart
toward God and abandoned his family. As yet, there has been no evidence of any
softening toward God. Only land that
drinks in the rain often falling on it . . . receives the blessing of
God. (Heb.6:7) It is the habit of drinking we must establish.
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