And He replied:
Go! Say to these people:
Keep listening, but do not understand; keep looking, but do perceive.     Isaiah 6:9 HCSB

Isaiah was a prophet sent to warn the Israelites of their impending captivity. In Isaiah 6:8 when the LORD said, who should I send? Who will go for Us? Isaiah responded with, Here I am. Send me.

Can you imagine volunteering to go on a mission trip or to speak to a group of lost people and having the LORD Himself tell you they will hear but won’t understand, and they will see but won’t perceive? But Isaiah did as the LORD commanded. He prophesied to them anyway.

Sadly, they didn’t listen. They continued to disobey the LORD’s commands. They worshipped idols and relied on other countries for help in wars instead of relying on God. This brought God’s wrath which caused desolation to their land and brought about their eventual captivity.

Jesus repeated this verse in Mark chapter 4:12 when His disciples asked Him why He used parables. Jesus replied, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those outside, everything comes in parables so that they may look and look and yet not perceive; they may listen and listen, yet not understand; otherwise, they might turn back-and be forgiven.”

Now reading this it sounds as if Jesus doesn’t want people to be saved, but this is not the case. He gave His life on the cross so that whosoever believes in Him should have everlasting life (John 3:16).

But we all know someone, probably someone close to us, that we have tried to reach through and talk about Jesus. We have tried to get them to read their Bible and pray and get into a good Bible-teaching church. Oh, they are polite. They listen and they make eye contact, they may even promise to do these things, but they don’t follow through.

While this may sound sad, the saddest part is that if they reject the Lord long enough, He will give them over to their fleshly desires. In other words, He will just let them have their way, even though their way will eventually destroy them.

It was never God’s intention for anyone to die and spend eternity in hell. He wants everyone to be saved. But He never forces us to do it His way. This is a choice we must make.

I spent years of my life attending church sporadically out of obligation. I didn’t read the Bible because I couldn’t make sense of it and what I did read convicted me of my wrongdoing and I didn’t want that. My prayers were 911 calls to God. Rarely did I pray just to praise Him.

Some say you don’t need to go to church to be saved. This is true, our salvation relies solely on our belief in Jesus and our love for Him. But if you are truly saved, you want to be in church. You want to serve Him. You want to do all you can do for Him. We are also instructed in Hebrews 10:24 not to neglect to go to church so Christians can be a source of support for each other.

If you are talking to someone about the Lord and they are not getting it, know they may be hearing and not understanding. Pray for their understanding and their salvation.

Romans 1:24 tells us there will come a time even when we live and breathe here on earth when it may be too late. There will come a time when God just gives the lost over to their fleshly desires. He will let them do it their way even if their way leads them to hell.

These verses (Isaiah 6:9, Mark 4:12, and Romans 1:20-25) are some of the saddest in the Bible. They warn us that those who reject God long enough will be given over to their sinful ways.

If someone is talking to you about Christ and you are not understanding, pray to God. Confess your sins and repent and He will help you to hear and see clearly.

If you are saved, but worried about a loved one who seems lost, don’t give up on them. Pray for them. Encourage them to turn to Jesus.

Be sure you are surrendered to Christ and strive to set a good example.

Have a great day!