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God will be found by those who seek Him.
"Those that seek me early shall find me." Proverb 8:17
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh
receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." Matthew 7:8, Lk.11:9-10
God will not be found by those who seek Him.
"They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the Lord, but he answered them not." Psalm 18:41
"Then shall they call upon me but I will not answer; they shall seek me early but shall not find me." Proverb 1:28
"Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer." Lamentations 3:8
"Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through." Lamentations 3:44
"They shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it." Amos 8:12
"Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." Luke 13:24
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Explanation:
God is very forgiving and gracious, but there comes a time when He will cease to have patience, and sinners will be left to
their own devices and destruction.
When the Bible says to “seek God early”, it means to seek Him before anything else in our lives. Those who did
this under the Old Covenant would find God’s help and counsel. Yet, if a people refused repeated calls by God to repent
of their sins, then there would be a point where He would close up the doors of Heaven, and would not hear(help) them at all.
Sometimes, we may get into such a state of melancholy or hopelessness that we think that God doesn’t hear us, because
He does not answer right away, or in the way we desire. God will, at times, delay His response to us for purposes that are
often beyond our comprehension.
Such was the case of Jeremiah, in Lamentations. Only, he was praying for the nation of Israel, but the Israelites had ignored
God many times and brought the consequences of iniquity upon themselves. God hears our prayers, but He is also a just God.
Jeremiah could not, unfortunately, intercede for Israel’s safety anymore.
With the blessed arrival of Jesus Christ, the period of grace was extended to the end of our earthly lives, no matter who
we are. The Gospel call to accept Him as King and Savior is opened to all unconditionally. However, we must reach out to
Jesus in this life, for when we die, it will be too late to make that choice.
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