Isaiah 55:6-7 (ESV)
6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call upon him
while he is near;
7 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.
It was a bright Sunday morning in 18th century London,
but Robert Robinson’s mood was anything but sunny. All along the street there
were people hurrying to church, but in the midst of the crowd Robinson was a
lonely man. The sound of church bells reminded him of years past when his faith
in God was strong and the church was an integral part of his life. It had been
years since he set foot in a church years of wandering, disillusionment, and
gradual defection from the God he once loved. That love for God -- once fiery
and passionate -- had slowly burned out within him, leaving him dark and cold
inside. Robinson heard the clip-clop, clip-clop of a horse-drawn cab
approaching behind him. Turning, he lifted his hand to hail the driver. But
then he saw that the cab was occupied by a young woman dressed in finery for
the Lord’s Day. He waved the driver on, but the woman in the carriage ordered
the carriage to be stopped.
"Sir, I’d be happy to share this carriage with
you," she said to Robinson. "Are you going to church?" Robinson
was about to decline, then he paused. "Yes," he said at last. "I
am going to church." He stepped into the carriage and sat down beside the
young woman. As the carriage rolled forward Robert Robinson and the woman
exchanged introductions. There was a flash of recognition in her eyes when he
stated his name. "That’s an interesting coincidence," she said,
reaching into her purse. She withdrew a small book of inspirational verse,
opened it to a ribbon-bookmark, and handed the book to him. "I was just
reading a verse by a poet named Robert Robinson. Could it be…?"
He took the book, nodding. "Yes, I wrote these words
years ago." "Oh, how wonderful!" she exclaimed. "Imagine!
I’m sharing a carriage with the author of these very lines!"
But Robinson barely heard her. He was absorbed in the
words he was reading. They were words that would one day be set to music and
become a great hymn of the faith, familiar to generations of Christians:
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace’
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
His eyes slipped to the bottom of the page where he read:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it—
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
He could barely read the last few lines through the tears
that brimmed in his eyes. "I wrote these words—and I’ve lived these words.
’Prone to wander…prone to leave the God I love.’"
The woman suddenly understood. "You also wrote,
’Here’s my heart, O take and seal it.’ You can offer your heart again to God,
Mr. Robinson. It’s not too late."
And it wasn’t too late for Robert Robinson. In that
moment he turned his heart back to God and walked with him the rest of his days
Is this you? A devoted Christian deep in your heart, who
has wandered from the faith? Your loving Father will orchestrate your return to
Him.
Dear Lord, we pray
for those that have wondered from You today. We pray that they would find their
way back knowing that You have Your arms opened wide ready to receive them
back. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.