Monday October 21, 2024
Return to Me….
By Jenny Pfister
At the writing of Joel’s prophecy, the people of Judah had become quite prosperous and complacent. Taking God for granted, they had turned to self-centeredness, idolatry, and sin. Joel warned them that this kind of lifestyle would inevitably bring down God’s judgement. There was still time to turn back though, through God’s mercy and grace…this is God’s return policy.
It seems that no matter how much we seek and strive after God, there are moments when we stray away from the intimate fellowship with Him. Oh, we may not wander far, but we sense that we are on a wayward path of our own making. We can’t hear His voice as clearly…we don’t feel the fullness of His love…we lose the sense of the Holy Spirit’s drawing…and our spiritual sight has grown a bit dim.
It is these moments that God calls us to simply return. Return means, “to turn with repentance; return to the starting point; come back home; return along a path already traversed.” It implies a physical motion or movement…not just a thought, but an action.
God promises many beautiful blessings when we turn back to Him. He promises to bring us back to a place where His name dwells.
But if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’ (Neh.1:9 NKJV)
Can you imagine? Returning to a place where His name dwells? Oh what a sweet place that is! One of the great benefits of that Name is forgiveness. He also promises that when we come back to Him He will wipe out our transgressions and our sin. (See WORD WISDOM for a deeper study of dwells)
I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you. (Is.44:22 NKJV)
Jesus paid the price for my wandering. He paid the price for my sin. He paid the price for my return. Hallelujah! God, in His great and unconditional love for us, knew that there would be times when we would need help in finding our way back. Jesus is that Way.
Not only does the Lord give us a place to return to (His name) and a way to return (Jesus), the Lord of hosts says, “Return to Me…and I will return to you…” (Zech.1:3 NKJV) and then gives us a renewed heart to know Him and love Him.
Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart. (Jer.24:7 NKJV)
When we repent, God shows us where to come, the way to come, and how to come. Joel 2:12-13 says we are to come with “all our heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning…rending your heart.” We don’t return with a part of our heart…we must be all in. We are to come fasting, literally, covering our mouths from impurities. We are to come mournfully, wailing as if from death from the dying of self. And we are to rend our hearts, tearing into pieces our own heart that He might give us a new one (Jer.24:7)
Oh, what everlasting joy we receive when we accept God’s return policy!
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. (Is.35:10 NKJV)
