God’s tender call to return to Him is a common denominator in the lives of wayward believers. Many young Christ followers, for whatever the reason, choose to leave the faith, or more commonly, to ignore it as they chase after the excitement of worldly, and sinful, opportunity. I’m afraid I fell into that latter category myself at one time. The lures of idolatry are not restricted to ancient Israel.
Many other believers stay true to the Lord for their entire faith journey, embracing a consistent and reverent fear of His majesty and glory, and that is a great credit to them. But the good news for many is that God is faithful to us even when we have not been faithful to Him. He is always calling us back home, be we stumbling drunk outside a bar, or in a cold jail cell in the back of a prison because of crimes we have committed. God is very quick to forgive us and to take us back into His fold whenever we decide to come back to Him. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross is sufficient to atone for even the most serious of sins, so there is no issue with Him covering all of our failures and shortcomings with HIS pure holiness and forgiveness, no matter how unholy WE have been. But first, we must make the decision and take the humble step of reverently returning to Him.
This same situation was true for the entire nation of Israel after the Babylonian exile. Because of the great hardship the exile presented, they finally let go of their desire for the stubborn idolatry that had put them there. At long last, the people “got it”. And to help them return home, God called the prophet Zechariah for be a divine mouthpiece to them. Zechariah writes:
3 So tell the people: This is what the Lord of Hosts says: Return to Me”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts—“and I will return to you, says the Lord of Hosts. Zechariah 1:3 (HCSB)
Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord. He is saying the very same thing to many of us today.
4 Do not be like your ancestors; the earlier prophets proclaimed to them: This is what the Lord of Hosts says: Turn from your evil ways and your evil deeds. But they did not listen or pay attention to Me”—this is the Lord’s declaration. 5 “Where are your ancestors now? And do the prophets live forever? 6 But didn’t My words and My statutes that I commanded My servants the prophets overtake your ancestors? They repented and said: As the Lord of Hosts purposed to deal with us for our ways and deeds, so He has dealt with us.” Zechariah 1:4-6 (HCSB)
The word of God speaks to us to open our eyes to the truth of His holiness, and to point out the worthlessness of walking on wayward paths. In my case, the lure of alcohol advanced to the point where I had to eventually make a choice – worship God or drink. For much of my twenties and early 30’s, I made the foolish choice to pursue alcohol, and had pretty much turned my back on God, because I knew it was wrong. Mercifully, the Lord was patient with me, and let the lessons of life make me ready to respond to the draw of His grace. I sought the Lord and returned to the cross of Christ. He forgave me, taught me many new and encouraging things, and helped me to put down alcohol, one day at a time, ever since.
Five years after my return, God drew me into a study of the entire Bible. I could see His hand at work all through scriptures, in a continuous thread. That biblical journey strengthened my faith, and the Lord’s continued spiritual investment has been a wealth of fine gold in my life. I have sought to share some of these insights with any who might wish to partake of the divine “gold” of His word, and experience the wonder of His presence.
God continues to use me whenever I will allow myself to partner with Him. There is no greater satisfaction in life than the times I know I have been exactly where the Lord wants me to be, doing exactly the thing He wants me to do. This may be leading a Bible Study or a Sunday School class, volunteering in a prison, jail, hospital, or with a youth group, or just stopping to help someone in a moment of need. This is exactly what we have been designed for – to walk fruitful paths in the image of God, doing the works that He has prepared for us beforehand. Those things sure beat the old, worthless destructive paths that used to be so alluring. When we do return to God, we want to stay with Him, forever!
Reflection
How would you describe the spiritual path that you are on?
Discerning God’s will for us is sometimes hard to do. We may know deep down in our heart that He wants us to stay in a difficult situation, despite the great temptation to leave it. He usually makes our faithful obedience pay great benefits, if we will patiently wait on Him. After all, isn’t patience what He has demonstrated with so many of us?
Lord, thank You for being patient with us and helping us to turn our lives around. Continue to help us maintain a holy fire and to behave with a reverent attitude towards You. Use us to bless others and to help those who have strayed to return to You for a life of joy, peace, and love. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Have a blessed and beautiful day in the Lord today.
Daily Meditations from the Genealogy of Jesus 