Surprise!

 

“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but sit shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. 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. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” (Isaiah 55:6-13 ESV).

 

I have heard people quote the eighth verse of our reading today when life takes a surprising twist. We say something like “Well, God’s ways certainly are not our ways.” That is true in that context; however, it is not the central message in this text. We must not overlook the context. Isaiah writes: “Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.” (v. 6-7). After those words, our verse for today begins with “For.” Our way is not to extend mercy and pardon to people who wrong us. We tend to nurse grudges, harbor bits of bitterness, and avoid offenders. We often seek the role of victim to gain an advantage.

 

But God’s way is totally unlike ours. In effect, God says, “When you sin, seek me out, and I will pardon you—freely, immediately. I know that’s not the way you think. You put your offenders on hold before you reluctantly forgive them, but that’s not my way. Come on, talk to me about it. You’ll be surprised at how quickly I will forgive you. And when we’re back together, you will go out in joy and be led forth in peace.’”

 

What a new way of thinking! Who would have imagined that the holy Lord Almighty (cf. Isaiah 6:3) would think and act that way toward people like us! Lent is a good time to be surprised by God’s way of thinking about sin and forgiveness.