Come Now
Published Jun 7, 2022
By Ashlee Murph
I hadn’t read my Bible in six months. If you know me in real life – if you have lived with me for any length of time – you know that is a big deal. You know that means something is wrong.
Reading my Bible, studying Scripture, is something I genuinely enjoy. Waking up a little early, brewing a cup of decaf coffee (I know, I know… decaf kinda defeats the whole purpose of coffee in the morning, but I can’t have caffeine, so here we are. It’s fine. I’m fine.), and sitting down with my Bible and notebook is usually the highlight of my day. I look forward to it.
But then, war began. I was called to the front lines of a mental battle I never asked to fight. I grew weary, felt so very defeated, and as the war continued to rage, anger and bitterness began to emerge as victors.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).
“I know this battle I’m fighting is very much a spiritual one,” I spoke aloud to my husband, “but honestly, I just don’t want to do the work it takes to fight it.” “Why not?” he asked. I looked down at my toes, embarrassed by the truth of my response, pondering whether or not I should – could – vocalize the truth. “Because I don’t really want a relationship with God right now. I’m angry and bitter, and I don’t feel very Christiany right now. And then, when I don’t read my Bible or pray or do all the things, I feel shame, and that makes me more angry, and now I just feel stuck.”
The next morning, his alarm went off way too early. “Wake up,” he sang in a tone that was way too cheerful for the numbers that shone in big, bold, bright red on the nightstand clock. In one hand, he held my Bible. In the other, a cup of decaf coffee. “We’re going to do this together.”
We read Isaiah 1 that morning. There wasn’t any particular reason other than the fact I had just started the book of Isaiah six months ago. But honestly, I think it was a God thing.
As we read the chapter together, one part stood out to me:
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD” (v. 18).
God invites each and every one of us into a mutual relationship with Himself. He invites us to interact with Him, to make our own choices, to reach our own conclusions. He never forces Himself upon us.
While I was – am – angry and bitter, God is still there. Patiently, lovingly, tenderly waiting for me to respond to his call to “Come now.” And once I do decide to come, He holds me close and encourages me that no, He is not angry with me for waiting so long to come. “Let us reason together,” He says, and He softens my heart as I begin, once again, to read my Bible.
Are you, like me, in a place of deep pain? Maybe you are angry, bitter, or grieving? Are you experiencing something that causes you to falter each time you reach for your Bible or bow your head to pray? Do you now feel shame because it has been so long since you have engaged in a relationship with your Lord and Savior?
Dear friend, I am so sorry you have been asked to walk the path of pain and heartache, grief and sorrow. Know that you are not alone, for I am right there too. And so is He, beckoning you to “Come now.” He is not angry with you. He will not shame you or blame you. If anyone knows the path of pain, it’s Him (Isaiah 53:3; Hebrews 4:15). He simply asks you to “Come now, and let us reason together.”
Will you trust His call today?
