Coming back to God

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 - “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

Hebrews 12:6 tells us that because God loves us, He disciplines us when we turn away from Him. The verses above from 2 Chronicles demonstrate God applying this same principle to the entire nation of Israel. There are many other places in the Bible that we also see this concept being played out in people's lives.

The great thing is that God does not put us through this as punishment. No, He loves us and He desires for us to come back to Him. We might still have to deal with some of the consequences of our sin in turning away from God, but as verse 14 above explains, He is willing to forgive us and heal us.

Coming back to Him is not hard. In the verse above, God gives us four things that He desires of us. First, that we humble ourselves. We must have the humility to recognize our sin and recognize that God is right. Second, we must pray. Prayer is nothing more than talking with God. If we are returning to Him, then we have to communicate with Him. Third, we must seek God's face. This means actively pursing God, finding out what pleases Him and finding ways to become closer to Him. This means taking action. Finally, we must turn from our wicked ways. We must find ways to put to death our sinful nature. We must stop doing those things that pulled us away from God.

Troubles and difficulties may be God's way of trying to get our attention and draw us back to Him. There could be other reasons for these trials in our lives, but when we experience such times, it should be a big clue for us to stop and examine our spiritual life and see if we have turned away from Him.

If you are experiencing difficulty in your life right now, check your walk with God. Maybe He is trying to draw you back to Him.