"Make me know your ways, O LORD;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long." Verses 4-5
That's a fantastic little prayer. One of my favorite things about the Psalms is these little two-or-so-verse prayers like that. I tell you, if you ever have trouble getting a prayer started, just flip to the middle of your Bible and start looking through the Psalms. You'll find something to get you going.
Joel 2:12-14
"But there's also this, it's not too late--
GOD's personal Message!--
'Come back to me and really mean it! Come fasting and weeping, sorry for your sins!'
Change your life, not just your clothes.
Come back to GOD, your God.
And here's why: God is kind and merciful.
He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot,
This most patient God, extravagant in love, always ready to cancel catastrophe.
Who knows? Maybe he'll do it now, maybe he'll turn around and show pity.
Maybe, when all's said and done, there'll be blessings full and robust for your GOD!"
God sincerely entreats his people to come back to him, but he demands that it be true repentance, not just for show. I love the first line in verse 13..."Change your life, not just your clothes." God is not fooled by appearances. He knows our hearts, so no amount of exterior cleansing will get us through.
Eugene Peterson makes an interesting point, here. "Keep in mind that turning back doesn't have to mean you ever dramatically turned away; it might mean you've just been distracted." YES!! That's me!! I've never turned my back on God, as if to say, "I don't believe in you anymore!" It's always been distractions; things that I let grab my attention so that I paid more attention to them than I was to God. And he gently (not so gently, at times) nudges me and says, "Come back to me." Does this surprise me? Not so much. I've lived long enough with God to know how much he desires our fellowship. I think, though, that I'm still amazed at his patience.
I was immediately reminded of a song, and I'm going to quote the lyrics here. I hope Third Day doesn't mind...
Come On Back to Me
You've been hiding now for so long
Never understanding why
Running far away from the truth
And all along chasing after lies
I have loved you
from the beginning
Long before you knew my name
Even though you've
broken my heart
I'll love you just same
I'll love you anyway
Never mind your worries
Never mind your fears
They can only take you
far from me
When you feel
there's nowhere
Left for you to turn
Well, I got all you want
And everything you need
Come on back to me
Do you believe in second chances
Or in a love that never fades
Put your faith in what you can't see
Just put your hand in mine
And I'll show you the way
C 2004 Consuming Fire Music
It's a great song...check it out sometime
Grace and peace, friends