For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel: Seek ye Me, and ye shall live. Amos 5:4
On December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza brook into the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and fatally shot 20 children and six adult staff members before killing himself. The incident was the deadliest mass shooting at a high school or grade school in U.S. history, and its aftermath continues to rink in that community and throughout much of the United States. A November 2013 report on the killings issued by the Connecticut State Attorney’s office concluded that Lanza acted alone and planned his actions, but no evidence collected provided any indication as to why he did so, or why he targeted that particular school. During the upheaval in the days immediately after the killings, many people started to question where God was when all of this was taking place. But a wise observer of American affairs pointed out to those people that the United States has banned God and His Word from public schools. Therefore they have no right to claim His protection when things go wrong. That is pretty much what Amos is saying in today’s text.
This verse is a wonderful promise, one that we can particularly claim in terms of our salvation. We live in a day when apathy concerning spiritual things is the norm. Few people care about their own souls, let alone the souls of others. People see the Gospel as irrelevant and uninteresting. And yet, some people are touched by the Gospel, as we were when the Holy Spirit began to strive with us. Dreading the awful consequences of our sin, we sought the Lord and trusted His finished work on the cross. Because we sought Him, He granted to us everlasting life. We are forever safe in Him. Does that mean we are immune to accidents and disease? Of course not, but it does mean that we are forever immune to judgment against our sins. Eternal life, and so much more, are ours.
Because the world loves its sin, it shuns anything to do with God when things are going well. But it blames or criticizes God when things go wrong. The world fails to get the message that life is available to all who will seek God, and this is not an empty offer or promise. Sinners who sincerely seek God will find eternal life; that is a promise. Weary who seek God will find rest. Heartbroken who will seek God will find comfort. Discouraged who seek God will find support. Hopeless who will seek God will find hope. And if all of these things and more are true for the unsaved, how much more will God provide for His own?
Our God is longing that we would seek Him and receive the abundant life that he is offering to us today. -Jim MacIntosh