Monday Reflection – January 31, 2022
Monday Reflection – January 31, 2022
Returning to God
Return, O faithless children, I will heal your faithlessness. “Here we come to you; for you are the Lord our God.” Jeremiah 3:22
Have you ever left a conversation and thanked God for just how beautiful and impactful it was? Perhaps, a better question to ask is, how many conversations have we had and either or both persons benefitted positively from it? Amazing, the Almighty God, our Abba Father, is always inviting us to talk with Him. The Bible is replete of instances of persons who dialogued with God, God’s dialogue with people, as well as God’s invitation to reason with humanity (cf. Isaiah 1:18). Jeremiah 3 features a dialogue between God and his people, where He offers gracious terms of pardon to them, and they should make sincere professions of obedience to Him.
In today’s Watchword, God invites His people to return to Him. God’s invitation is for the people to return to Him, to His worship and service, to their duty. God says this upon hearing the weeping and supplications of the Israelites, acknowledging their sin, and humbling themselves before Him. God’s invitation is accompanied with His promise – I will heal your faithlessness. In other words, God says, I will take away your guilt and save you from your rebellious and revolting disposition. God heals our backslidings and faithlessness by His pardoning mercy, His abiding peace, and His renewing grace. Such a promise is met with a resounding positive response, “Here we come to you; for you are the Lord our God.” For the people – We readily and cheerfully obey your command, and comply with your invitation. This is an immediate, speedy answer, without delay; not we will come later, but we do come now; we need not take time to consider it. This is grounded in the reality that the people remember who is their Master and Lord, Yahweh.
David Guzik reminds us of the features of backsliding or faithlessness. Backsliding brings desolation; backsliding is worthy of great mourning; backsliders may return right from their wayward place; backsliding is shown in a perverted way; backsliding is shown in forgetting God; backsliding is something only children of God can do; backsliding is a decision to turn from; backsliding is a disease to be healed from; backsliding is corrected by the recognition of a wrong way; backsliding is corrected by the recognition of having forgotten God.
Yet, we must settle why we should return to God, having been faithless. Because:
- God is the true God
- The idols do not profit us; they can give no help in time of trouble
- We are worst off when we abandon the worship of God
- It is the prerogative of God alone to offer forgiveness, redemption and salvation
Today’s text challenges us to practice regular introspection, as well as analysis of our relationship with God. And when we miss the mark, we should quickly repent and seek God’s forgiveness and restoration. The Apostle Peter, in a beautiful commendation of the believers, says in 1 Peter 2:25: “For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.” Let’s follow suit.
Jermaine Gibson