God, in His goodness, creates situations and events, from smitten consciences to large-scale calamities, to lead us to or back to the right path. He gives His people time to repent, always working to bring about His spiritual creation, desiring sons and daughters in His image. Throughout His interactions with the ancient Israelites, He sent prophets to remind them of His unchanging will, ensuring they were without excuse. Though He provides time for repentance, God also sends reminders and helps along the way, truly wanting us to live as He does. Sometimes His reminders are soft, but at other times they are impossible to ignore as the spiritual danger grows. On occasion, He steps back and waits to see if we will turn back to Him on our own. God allows us time to make the right choices and become reconciled to Him, but we can misunderstand this grace period, concluding that our actions are not a significant problem. The longer we delay necessary changes, the easier it becomes to turn away from Him altogether. He is absolutely faithful to His covenant and will leave nothing undone in working on our behalf, yet He will not force us to take on His image if we choose the image of the world instead. There is a time when the Lord may be sought and found, but this implies there is also a time when it is too late, for He responds to our choices, whether good or evil.

Returning to God is a vital aspect of fulfilling our responsibilities to live by faith and glorify Him in this world. The urgency to return is emphasized with a sense of immediacy, as it must not be delayed while the opportunity exists. God commands His people, with whom He already has a relationship, to return to Him, indicating that some resolve has been lost and drifting apart has occurred. This return is not about establishing a new relationship but about seeking to become more fully intimate with His will and to be like Him. God greatly desires us to be in His Kingdom, yet He also wants us to show voluntarily that we desire this relationship. He has every legal right to command this return, having entered into a covenant with us, making us His own. Our responsibility, as those who have made this covenant, is to seek Him diligently, understanding that completing this agreement depends on whether we, by faith, allow Him to be sovereign over our lives.

Returning to God is a vital theme for those who already have a relationship with Him, yet have drifted apart due to a loss of resolve. God urgently commands His people to seek Him, not to establish a new connection, but to deepen and strengthen the existing bond. This call to return, as seen in Isaiah 55, is directed to those who know Him to some degree, urging them to come closer and be more fully intimate with His will. The command to seek Him is not about finding Him for the first time, since the relationship already exists, but about striving to be like Him through dedicated effort. God pleads with His children to return to Him, expressing His deep desire for them to be in His Kingdom while expecting a voluntary response to show their commitment. This return is not without cost, though not in terms of money, but in the sacrifice of time, energy, devotion, and love. He has every legal right to demand this, having entered into a covenant with His people, akin to a marriage, where He owns them body and soul. The relationship requires active effort to prevent drifting, as seen with Israel in the wilderness, who failed to seek Him and thus did not grow in knowing Him. The urgency of returning to God is emphasized with the call to act today, not delaying while the opportunity exists. This return involves a daily exercise of faith, motivated by a living trust in Him, driving every thought and action according to what He requires. God's plea in Isaiah 55 to come, eat spiritually, and incline the ear to Him, promises an everlasting covenant for those who respond, linking them to the sure mercies of David and a lasting place in His Kingdom under Christ.