Skip to main content

~Return to Me~

  " Return to me, and I will return to you," says the Lord Almighty."

- Malachi 3:7-


  No matter how far we run, flee, hide, deny, or try to ignore God, all He asks is for us to come back to Him when we are ready. He promises to return to us when we return to Him. The amazing thing about God is that He meets us right where we are. He meets us when we reach out and come back to Him. In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15 tells the story of the Prodigal Son's return. This story illustrates the actions of a son who was selfish and left his father in search of better. The son comes across hard times and realizes what a fool he has been. The son decides to repent, return to his father's house, and beg for a place again. The beauty of the story is when the son returns, ashamed and humbled, expecting to be disowned or scolded, the father excitedly welcomes him home and celebrates him. He meets him where he is and returns to the lost son. The book of Luke states, "... While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him" (Luke 15: 20). 


  Sometimes it can feel like the Lord is far from us. We call out to him, begging Him to show up, change our situations, and make himself known to us. Maybe at times, we even feel He has forgotten about us.  David in the book of Psalms expressed feeling this way. We are not alone in feeling forsaken at times. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent" (Psalm 22:2).  Could it be, though, that we have forgotten about HIM? That we have left and put Him to the side?



   It isn't enough to simply say His name and idly speak words asking God to change our situations and show up. If we are not changing our hearts or being in a posture to hear or receive His presence or word, are we genuinely returning to Him?  Perhaps we are missing Him because we are unwilling to change or accept what He tries to tell us. Ouch, what a challenging thought that is to swallow. Don't push Him off; FULLY commit to Him, return, run, surrender, and go back to Him. There you will find the fullness of God, His place in you, and you in Him. Again we see in Malachi 3:7 "...Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty" and Ezekial 36:26 "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you..."that when we come to the Lord and ask Him to return, invite him to work in our hearts, restoration is quick.


   Even when we come to God as the son in this story did, when we feel guilty, ashamed, unworthy, or broken.. like we are too far gone... God shows us compassion and lets us know that we are welcome. In fact, our return is celebrated, and we are immediately restored to Him. Maybe your absence has been a long and intentional disregarding who God is. Perhaps you have let other things distract you or take His place. Perhaps you feel separated from the Presence of the Holy Spirit. All we have to do is repent. Repent means to re-path ourselves, to change our way. Return back to the Lord, and His presence will return to you. Ask, and He will be with you; He is here waiting for the invitation to return to the one He loves. Will you invite Him back today? 


  Song suggestions for your night: Back to the Father by Josua Dufrene 


Covenant Worship - Back to the Father (Lyrics) - YouTube


Run to the Father by Cody Carnes 

Cody Carnes - Run To The Father (Official Lyric Video) - YouTube


Hugs,

Em

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

~He who calls you is faithful~

Hi friends! It has been ages; I've missed you! Have you ever noticed it is almost immediately after you finish telling someone just how good you have been doing that it seems that suddenly everything starts going downhill again? That has been me this week. I was gifted with some rare moments of time with close mentors this past week, a time to be honest with where we are in life and uplift each other up for God’s glory. The devil hates progress for the Lord; we know this. God tells us we will have such struggles in this life because of the great name we hold. So, I take this new season of tribulation and discrimination for my faith as a reward from Him  It shows His goodness, His protection, and His hold on my life in action. I will be thankful for that. I have been sensing myself rapidly slipping back into my old coping methods of handling stress recently. I haven’t experienced this in a long time before now; praise God for that. Throughout this summer, God has been faithful
Post a Comment
Read more

-C.O.M.M.U.N.I.T.Y-

Hello Friends!    It's been a while; life has been its usual whirlwind.    I've been thinking a lot about community lately, how necessary it is in our lives and the importance of reaching out to others instead of living in that self-sustaining mindset.  Growing up, the youth group I attended had a core value they based their church on. This statement was, "You can't do life alone." This is such a truthful sentence that is admittedly stuck in my head even to this day. The only problem is I never really experienced or understood what that meant until recently. Growing up, my family and I went through a lot of trials. As a result of this, we were, in a sense, "stripped" of some friendships and community. Some of this by default and some by choice. Being a pretty shy person, I am the first to admit I wasn't so keen on putting myself out there and trusting new people, especially as a teenager. Even as an adult now, I still struggle with thinking I, in fac
Post a Comment
Read more

-Eye Love to Observe-

Hi Friends,      I’ve missed talking with you!        I write this as I sit in Jury Duty, juror ID and all. I must say, as much as this tends to be such a dreaded commitment, I am enjoying getting to people watch. There are so many different types of people and each one reacts and interacts, in their own unique way. I remember a few years ago, my grandmother took a train down from the north all the way to my home here in the south and when she arrived, she spent a great time describing all the different people she saw. She enlightened me on how much you can learn from being silent and observing. My favorite of her observations was of this particular gentleman who wore a top hat and had a cane.                                                               It is often through quietness and observation that one learns. I have spent most of my life being known as the shy girl who doesn’t talk. Not my favorite way to be defined, I must admit. However, in reality, while people s
Post a Comment
Read more