GodSprings - 27 July, 2016

Am I Out of Coverage Area?

“If you return, O Israel, declares the Lord, to me you should return. If you remove your detestable things from my presence, and do not waver. Jeremiah 4:1 (ESV)

Most of us have probably had the experience of trying to make a phone call, but maybe because we are inside a large building, or maybe because we are out in the middle of nowhere, we are not able to make the call, because we fail to get a signal. When we are in dire need to speak to someone the reply “The person you are trying to reach is either switched off or out of coverage area” sometimes makes us go mad.

If this is true with technology, then I feel it is true with our relationship with God. At times in our spiritual journey, we can become a bit disconnected from God. This may be the result of focusing too much on our own personal circumstances, making bad choices that can lead us astray, or allowing “stuff” to consume our time and attention. The good news is that God is not like the mobile operators some who claim to show the networks but of no use to us. Even if we have been focusing on the wrong things, or making unwise decisions that have taken us in the opposite direction from God’s will, God still stands with open arms, ready to welcome back anyone who is willing to return to Him.

Sometimes, when we feel far away from God, sometimes, when we feel as if our prayers are not being answered, sometimes, when we feel as if there is something wrong between us and God, sometimes it is very easy to point finger at God. It is very easy to question and doubt. It is very easy to look to God and to ask the Lord, “What is wrong here?” I suppose that is the way with human nature. It is almost always easier to blame someone else than it is to take personal responsibility for something.

God loves to bless His people. The Israelites, of all people, should have been the ones who should not have forgotten what God had done in their lives. He protected them while they were in Egypt, He delivered them from bondage, He provided for them in the wilderness, and He gave them their own land. But they still found themselves feeling disconnected from God.

The problem was that God’s people were focusing on the wrong things while failing to remember the right things: the many blessings of God. This resulted in unwise decisions that took them in the opposite direction from God’s will. Instead of trusting God, they were turning away from God. Instead of remaining faithful to God, they were committing spiritual adultery. They had abandoned God, and decided they could do just fine on their own. But all they succeeded in doing was making a mess of their lives and driving a wedge between themselves and God.

God offers forgiveness and restoration to anyone who is willing to receive them from him. If a disconnect has compromised your relationship with God, of if you feel detached from God, the simple truth is that you have moved away from God. God has not walked away from you, He has not forsaken you, and He has not moved or changed His heavenly address. He stands anxiously awaiting your return to Him.

Whether you have taken just one step in the wrong direction or have been walking in the wrong direction for years, God would say to you today, “Return to Me!”