“Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2
What does God mean when He speaks of an “acceptable time,” a “day of salvation?” He is speaking of a definite, and very real intervention on His part in response to prayer. In the book of Isaiah, we find written: “In an acceptable time I have HEARD you, and in the day of salvation, I have HELPED you.” (49:8) God reveals to the Corinthian believers through the Apostle Paul that He is the God who truly hears the cry of the heart, and also who “helps,” or saves in answer to that cry. These are facts of how He deals with the seeking, earnest heart. But there is another aspect of His dealing with men that is very important to grasp if we would KNOW His helping, saving work. This has to do with the present moment, the “now.” We are apt to think of some future time, or event that must occur before God works in the heart and life. But this may not be the case at all. God’s acceptable time is NOW in the present moment. Our responsibility is to believe Him actively now, even though we may not yet see His hand at work.
In God’s dealings with Israel, there were times when Israel, because of her disobedience to God especially with regard to idolatry, that God would allow her to be overrun by her enemies, being oppressed to the point of despair. Again and again, Israel cried out to the Lord, and He heard her, and intervened. God is not like we are, as His ears are always open to the cry of His children, and those who will seek Him aright. His response is very quick, sometimes working and responding before we have prayed, for He knows the heart. When Israel called upon the Lord in different circumstances, reflecting different needs, He would respond, sometimes giving them a new beginning, by either the salvation of their souls, or the deliverance from their enemies. That which is singularly important here is to see that He does respond, often in the present moment revealing that response. It is for this reason that He calls those who would seek Him to believe that He is the God of the NOW.
In Isaiah, chapter forty-three, we find one of those moments when Israel truly needed a new intervention by Him hearing, then immediately responding by His spoken word, then by His working. He began by declaring to Israel, “But NOW, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.” (v.1) Notice that He beings by using the words, “…but NOW.” He is calling Israel to accept His authoritative word concerning a new beginning, that He has heard their cry, and He is answering in the present moment. All is based on what He as Israel’s Creator and Redeemer says, not upon what Israel might think.
Later in the same chapter, we find where He specifically commands Israel, “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; NOW it shall spring forth: Shall you not know it?” (v. 18,19) What is God doing for Israel here? He is seeking to create in her heart an expectancy of His intervention, so that by that hope and expectation, she will believe Him, waiting for the realization of it. He would not have her looking back to her past. That which He will do now will not have its reference point in anything of the past, but in Him and that which He has designed. Many are the promises that He will give her, but perhaps the most important one is this: “Fear not, O Jacob My servant, … I will pour water upon him who is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit upon your decedents, my blessing upon your offspring.” (44:2,3)
Dear Father, Grant Thy fulness now. In Jesus’ name, Amen.