"Come, let us return to the Lord; for He has torn us, that He may heal us; He has struck us down, and He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live before Him. Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; His going out is sure as the dawn; He will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth."
Hosea 6:1-3 ESV
I find it comforting that we have a God that is constantly calling His children back. He doesn't put us on hold and take another call. He doesn't look down at his iPhone and ignore the text. He takes the time to meet with us right where we are. At times though, God's plan involves us walking through times of great difficulty and some pain and honestly when those times come, I often find myself asking when will this season end. And if you are honest you probably do too.
It is in those times when God seems distant like He isn't hearing our cries or our prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling and things are circling the drain that we have to lean into Him harder. Trust me when I tell you this, it is really easy to run the opposite direction while looking for answers to your problem, to dive headlong into alcohol or any other vise rather than sit there and go through all the pain and hardship. But the problem with that is when you come out of that funk your problems will all still be there waiting for you and you quite possibly may have a few new ones waiting to pounce on you. It is in those times that we need to recall the grace that God gave us when we were saved and that even though we abandoned Him, He never ever abandoned us. He was right there with us all along. And I can tell you from personal experience that He was speaking all the time but was ignored and cast aside.
Whatever your situation or wherever you are in your walk through life, no matter how far away from the narrow path we are called to walk down, if you listen closely, you can hear God's call to you. He is calling for us to return to Him. He is waiting right there, seeking to revive our spirit and heal our wounds. He wants a relationship with me and you so badly, He sent His Son to pay the penalty for all the sins we have ever committed.
My pastor Dr. John Thweatt said this to me a few days ago and it cut me to my bones, "It is more dangerous to know what to do and not do it than to not know and not do." It made me think about all I have missed out on, so much joy, especially in the last few years because of the burdens and sin that I have carried in my own life and the relationships that I damaged due to my behavior. But it was when I got still before God and really dove into His word and listened closely to what He was telling me and recalled the sweet moments of grace and the joy of the knowledge that I was truly free and didn't have to live that life anymore that I felt the chains start to break in my life. And honestly, they are still breaking today. Right now as I type this word, I can feel the presence of God in my room and feel Him speaking to me through this post. He is telling me that everything I ever did was nailed to the cross and I don't have to take it down. I don't have to carry the heavy weight on my shoulders anymore. It was all settled because one man took the weight of God's wrath for me all those years ago and still does today. It is in those moments, when God speaks to me, that true healing begins and I feel my heart start to be put back together.
My friend, be encouraged today and know that the same thing is available to you too. I thank Him for not abandoning me, for taking my call, and for answering my prayer. I want to be the best me I can be, not only for myself but for my wife and my kids and my community. I want to know the kind of abundant life that comes only through working and living for Christ.
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