Return To The Lord
“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. - Joel 2:12-13
One of my favorite things I did when I was single was taking an annual girls’ beach trip with a few of my closest friends. We always had the best time just chilling by the water, eating junk food, watching movies, and of course, talking - lots and lots of talking.
I remember during one of those trips, I wrote in my journal about how the trip had been so refreshing for my soul. The rest and the relaxation were so needed. The unplugging was necessary. And the refocusing was just what I’d been searching for over the past few weeks as I’d been dealing with stress and overwhelm.
In seasons of stress, busyness, and mile-long to-do lists, it’s easy for us to put our relationship with God on the back burner. We find ourselves saying we’ll get up early to do our quiet time, but then we sleep in instead because we’re exhausted, not leaving any time to spend in the Word. So then we decide we’ll do our quiet time at night, only to spend time talking on the phone, scrolling through social media, or catching up on our favorite shows to decompress before we go to sleep and start over again tomorrow.
It’s almost like we take advantage of the fact that God is always there. We don’t take it as a comfort, we take it as a given, knowing that He’ll be there when we find the time for Him.
But friend, let me encourage you. I’ve found myself in this situation many times before, more times than I care to admit if I’m being honest. And I can tell you that in the seasons when I haven’t prioritized my relationship with the Lord, I’ve been more stressed, more overwhelmed, and more drained than in the seasons when I have made time with Him a priority.
Today’s key passage is one that I came across in two separate places in less than an hour today. And you know if you’ve been reading my writing for any amount of time, that if God repeats Himself to me in some capacity, I’ve learned to pay close attention. This passage of Scripture from Joel chapter 2 tells us more than once to return to the Lord with all your heart. It’s a simple statement, but one that requires intention, focus, and surrender on our part.
So if you find yourself needing a refresh for your soul, a reigniting of your faith, and a reordering of your priorities, don’t worry. You don’t have to take a trip or go to the beach to get it. All you have to do is sit before your Heavenly Father with humility and tell Him you want to return to Him. Pray and ask Him to renew your desire to spend time with Him each day and He will answer your prayer.
He loves when you spend time with Him. He loves when you talk to Him. He loves when you draw near to Him. So don’t waste another second trying to do everything and walk through everything on your own. He’s there, with open arms, waiting for you. Just return to Him.