Speaking to and through His chosen prophet, Jeremiah, the Lord called out to the people of Judah, pleading with them to turn away from the false gods and idols they had been worshipping, and to turn back to the God who had brought them out of slavery in Egypt into their good land. Jeremiah recounts:
6 The Lord said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: “Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? Jeremiah 3:6a (NKJV)
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines backsliding as a moral and spiritual lapse, reverting to a condition worse than before. This was the condition of the people of Judah despite the best efforts of King Josiah.
Josiah had done everything he could to help turn the hearts of his people back to their God. That faithful servant pleased the Lord very much, but in the end, the choice of whether or not to follow God lies within the heart and will of each individual.
The Lord pleaded through His mouthpiece, Jeremiah, for His people to return to Him.
12 … ‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the Lord;
‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you.
For I am merciful,’ says the Lord;
‘I will not remain angry forever.
13 Only acknowledge your iniquity,
That you have transgressed against the Lord your God… Jeremiah 3:12b-13a (NKJV)
The Lord is also speaking to us today. If we have backslidden and find ourselves at the end of a long road of disobedience, far away from the sensible presence of the Lord, we may wonder how can we ever get back to that warm and peaceful place of His mercy and favor. Speaking through Jeremiah, God gives us the answer: return to Him, acknowledge our sin, and lean on His mercy and forgiveness.
Jesus also addressed this question using the parable of the Lost Son (sometimes also referred to as the parable of the Prodigal, or lavishly wasteful, Son), found in Luke 15.
Speaking to a crowd of humble sinners and scoffing religious leaders, Jesus told a story about a man with two sons. The younger son asked for and received his full inheritance from his father while he was still alive, a great insult. The father agreed. The son took the money to a far land, where he wasted it on wild living.
When it was all gone, this young Jewish man needed something to live on, so he joined himself to a citizen in that country and was given the job of feeding swine, an unclean animal under Jewish law. Continuing the parable:
16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’ Luke 15:16-19 (NKJV)
This is where mercy and grace come in. His father had long waited for his son’s return and kept frequent vigils in hopes that he would come home soon. Then one day, the father saw the son coming a long way off, and with compassion, ran out to meet him. He hugged his son and kissed him, then restored him to a position of honor in the family. The father brought out the prized fatted calf as the centerpiece of a feast to celebrate his young son’s return.
There is more to this story in regard to how the angry older brother responds to the situation, but here Jesus is referring to the joy in heaven whenever anyone who is far from the Lord decides in their heart to turn, or return, to Him. God is overflowing with grace and forgiveness for anyone willing to come to Him in humble repentance. This is true for anyone, whether out in the free world, or in the jail house. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and resurrection from the dead is sufficient to cover all of our sin, whatever situation we find ourselves in. Everything of God is there for us once we reach the point of return.
Reflection
Are you feeling far away from the Lord? Or perhaps, you have never known Jesus and of His great love for you, or maybe it has been a very long time since you have sought to renew that relationship. When Jesus told the story of the Lost Son, He was speaking about each one of us – we have all gone astray in one way or another and greatly need His grace and mercy. It is there for us in abundance, if we ask Him for it.
Lord, speak to my heart and show me my need for You in my life. I humbly turn (or return) to You and seek to live in the light of Your presence. Forgive all of my sins which I acknowledge to You, and surround me with the warming presence of Your Spirit. Restore to me the blessings of grace, peace, and joy. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Have a beautiful blessed day the Lord.
Daily Meditations from the Genealogy of Jesus 