I opened my Bible recently to the book of Zechariah and skimmed through its pages. I discovered it filled with promises; promises of return and restoration, promises of blessing, promises of prophecy fulfilled and sins forgiven. After thumbing through the chapters, I returned to the first page of the first chapter and began to read. Right out of the gate, Zechariah declared the word of the Lord given to him; “Return to me, and I will return to you” (Zechariah 1:3).
Returning
We have an open invitation to return to God regardless of our circumstances, an invitation of fellowship and friendship. From the beginning of time, God has always been inviting mankind into relationship. He invites us into fellowship and then invites us even deeper into his purposes; the life and adventures he has created.
He invited Adam and Eve to walk with Him in the Garden of Eden. He invited Abraham to leave his home and adventure with him in undiscovered lands. He invited Moses to re-engage as a leader of his people back in Egypt. He invited Joseph to believe him in spite of dire circumstances in a strange land. He invited Elijah to trust the whispers from his still small voice. God is always extending his invitation to return, wherever we currently find ourselves.
We have wandered
To return carries the connotation that we have wandered. And wandered we have; wandered from home, wandered from the path, and wandered from God. As the old hymn testifies, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.” The prophet Isaiah decreed in his famous passage foretelling the Messiah, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way (Isaiah 53:6).”
The Messiah confirmed God’s invitation stating, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).” The pearl of Jesus’ parables, the story of the prodigal son, was about invitation and returning. The son, prone to wander, forsook his family and left home. He squandered his inheritance, dishonored his family name and came to the realization that the wandering pursuit of his lustful heart yielded bitter fruit. In the middle of his wanderings, he remembered the love and favor of his father and felt the call and invitation to return.
As the prodigal son returned, so must we. It’s not about our performance. It’s about our presence. It’s about coming home. I love the cry of the prophet Hosea;
“Come, let us return to the Lord.
His appearance is as sure as the dawn.
He will come to us like the rain,
like the spring showers that water the land.”
Hosea 6:1,3
This passage holds that same promise found in Zechariah, that if we return to the Lord, he will return to us and come to us. Some may feel God heavy handed, requiring of us the first move. But that is not the case. God is always the starter and the one who initiates. He creates, He speaks, He loves, He forgives, all initiating movements in love. “For God so loved the world that he gave” (John 3:16).
Rick Warren opened his best-selling book “The Purpose Driven Life” with the words “It’s not about you!” The friends of God recorded in the pages of scripture seemed to understand this better than you and me. We tend to write ourselves off when we fail, discouraged and sidelined by our lack of performance. Yet David was both an adulterer and a murderer. Moses also committed murder. Jacob was a liar and a swindler. Joseph was spoiled. Peter denied Jesus when it mattered the most. All these great men of scripture were flawed and failed, yet they returned. They didn’t let their failures separate them from the God who invited them.
I encourage you to do the same. Wherever you are today and whatever state you are in, whether it be a state of disgrace or a state of grace, return to the God who invites. Enter into his fellowship and ultimately into the adventure he has for you. It isn’t about performance, it’s about presence, and he requests yours.