I was reading this morning in the Bible about a period where the nation of Israel had strayed from God. They took the first step of inviting God back into their lives, but it took 20 years of being sorrowful before God spoke to them in a way that helped them to move on. Then they were given instruction on what to do and as they were obedient, they saw God do incredible things...including restoring all of the territory that had been taken from them by their enemies.
Two things stuck out for my life, as well as for our country and our church. First, life did not stop while they were 'lamenting' the error of their ways and their rejection of God. They still had to go to work, feed their kids, etc. Life went on...everyday. Secondly, God did not tell them to 'lament' for 20 years...it was just the time when God knew that they were ready to hear from Him and ready to be obedient. But they had to wait...a long time.
When it comes to our relationship with God, we so often get in a hurry (or hurry others) to 'get on with life'. We have a false sense of life, as if it stops while we work on restoring our relationships. Life does not stop when relationships are strained or broken. Most broken or strained relationships don't just happen in a moment of time. We need to be careful to allow Godly sorrow to run its course in our lives...sometimes it just takes time for it to do its work so that we do not quickly make the same mistakes again.
Based on this story from the Bible, the nation of Israel (in time) was ready to corporately move on in obedience to God. Yes, everyone was 20 years older and it may seem to have been wasted years in their lives...and it was to the extent that had they been obedient in the beginning it would have never happened. But to an infinite God who is not on a calendar, it was just a speck in the course of eternity. But their first step was to invite and allow God to dwell with them again.
When we have broken relationships, the first step is to sincerely invite that person back into our lives. However, we cannot expect that everything just moves on immediately. We need to give it time. Maybe you have been away from God for what seems like a long time of wasted years...there is hope. God can restore your life. The first step is to invite Him into your life...to dwell in you, your home, your heart. He desires it. Do we?
(1 Samuel 5-7)
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