Yesterday I mentioned that at one point our daughter told her son “God and I aren’t talking right now”. On the surface we probably all think “Oh my goodness, how could you be so far from God that you aren’t speaking to Him”. Well, lets just say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
About 15 years ago I was rushing around getting ready for work, grabbed my coffee (not in a travel mug but just a large tumbler) and headed to the car. I put my coffee in the cup holder, hopped in behind the wheel and the seat belt clasp slid between my blouse and my blazer and pushed my cell phone right into my large light and sweet coffee. You can imagine how instantaneous the damage was to the phone.
Well, I was FURIOUS! I stormed into the house, slammed the phone on the table and explained to my husband that if he needed me he would have to call the office because I had just completely ruined my phone and I stormed right back out the door again.
I steamed and stewed all the way to work and within minutes of arrival my office phone started ringing. It was my husband. He was trying to speak reason into my heart and mind. But I was so incredibly incensed that I would not hear it. Then He said it….”lets pray”. Oh, no! That, for what ever reason, made me even angrier. I said “how about this? How about you pray to Him, because He and I are not on speaking terms right now”.
Can you imagine!?! Over a stupid cell phone, I would reject time with God and would not even approach Him. I think about it now and I am ashamed, repentant, regretful, so many, many things.
Within about an hour, the incredible man that God gave me, showed up at my office with, not one, but two floral arrangements and a brand new cell phone.
Somehow, seeing this man (who would risk my wrath) standing before me, attempting to bless me and restore me to my heavenly Father revealed to me the magnitude of my rejection.
How dare I reject a Heavenly Father who would provide me with a man who loved me so much that he would do everything in his power to restore me to God. I quickly repented and asked both for forgiveness. Praise God for His faithfulness and for a husband who forgives as he has been forgiven because my relationship to both was restored.
The scriptures show us some really Godly people who defied or rejected God and His plan, Jonah – defied God and refused to go where God was sending him, but in the end he acquiesced and accomplished God’s plan.
Sarah – mocked/laughed at God when He said that she was going to bear a child in her old age. Only to find that she would have this child and that he would be key to the lineage of Jesus and our salvation.
Elijah fled – he was asked by God to accomplish several tasks but he ran, feeling alone and persecuted. God revealed to him that not only was he not alone but there were thousands who would submit and God used Elijah mightily to cease baal worship amongst Israel.
Saul/Paul – Saul was a persecutor & murderer of Christians and yet when God reached him he became one of our greatest apostles and writer of a large part of the New Testament.
Simon Peter – Poor Simon Peter, he would cut off the ear of a soldier in the garden of Gethsemane and Jesus would have to miraculously attach it, he would then reject Jesus (just as Jesus predicted), not once, but three times and then he just gives up following Christ and goes back to being a fisherman. But Jesus appears to him and draws him back to advancing the gospel and winning souls for Him.
We are all going to falter. And none of us know what the enemy is going to use to drive a wedge between us and the Lord. Remember 1 Peter 5:8 tells us “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour”. He will do whatever He can to cause us to falter and separate us from God. But, the fact that we falter shouldn’t be our focus. Our reconciliation to God should be.
2 Corinthians 5:18 – All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” He provided the means by which we can be reconciled, it’s called repentance.
Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.
I pray that when you falter (and you will) that you will be reconciled to God quickly and that you will hunger after Him even more than before you faltered.
Praise Him today for His provisions to allow our reconciliation!
Luv ya!
