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Morning and Evening

August 21, Evening

C. H. Spurgeon · Modern retelling

"I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye Me in vain." — Isaiah 45:19 · KJV

We may gain much comfort by considering what God has not said. What He has said is inexpressibly full of comfort and delight; what He has not said is scarcely less rich in consolation. It was one of these "said nots" that preserved the kingdom of Israel in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, for "the Lord said not that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven." In our text we have the assurance that God will answer prayer, because He has "not said unto the seed of Israel, Seek ye Me in vain." You who write bitter things against yourselves should remember that, whatever your doubts and fears may say, if God has not cut you off from mercy, there is no room for despair; even the voice of conscience carries little weight unless it is seconded by the voice of God. What God has said, tremble at! But do not let your vain imaginings overwhelm you with despondency and sinful despair. Many timid souls have been vexed by the suspicion that there may be something in God's decree that shuts them out from hope; but here is a complete refutation of that troubling fear, for no true seeker can be decreed to wrath. "I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth; I have not said" — even in the secret of My unsearchable decree — "Seek ye Me in vain." God has clearly revealed that He will hear the prayer of those who call on Him, and that declaration cannot be overturned. He has spoken so firmly, so truthfully, so righteously that there is no room for doubt. He does not reveal His mind in unintelligible words, but speaks plainly and positively, "Ask, and ye shall receive." Believe, O trembler, this sure truth: that prayer must and shall be heard, and that never, even in the secrets of eternity, has the Lord said to any living soul, "Seek ye Me in vain."