One of the things that I have noticed in life is that our “love” seems to dwindle over time…. that is, our early passions seem to loose the time and attention that we once gave them because of new or different priorities. This isn’t always bad, because there is always a good result when we align our priorities with God’s. However, as I observe my own life, I see a heart that is lured, too many times, into worldly affections that are not in line with God’s. Recognizing these things is important, but we must go beyond that and deal with them in a substantive way.
The Word of God is filled with stories and accounts of men and their wandering devotion from God– it begins with Adam and continues through out every book of the Bible. So—it shouldn’t surprise us that returning to God in repentance is a re-occurring theme from Genesis to Revelation. This is also the same response God requires of us as we recognize our waywardness towards Him- to repent and return.
I am reminded, again and again, that the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 is really the story of our lives. We are the wayward son, and we have left the blessings of home for “greener pastures”– only to find ourselves hungry and empty in a foreign land.
But…when we return home we find God to be the One who satisfies our thrist! King David summed it up like this in Psalm 63.
O God, Thou art my God; I shall seek Thee earnestly; My soul thirsts for Thee, my flesh yearns for Thee, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Thus I have beheld Thee in the sanctuary, to see Thy power and Thy glory. Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee. So I will bless Thee as long as I live; and I will lift up my hands in Thy name. So my soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips, (vs. 1-5).
May we regularly return home and draw from God’s refreshing well!