God Brings Us Back

Sometimes people remark, “You can’t go home again,” meaning perhaps that we can’t get back what’s in the past. A woman speaking to King David in 2 Samuel 14:14 expressed a similar thought: “All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him.”
This wise woman doesn’t stop with the fact that no one can go back to yesterday. She goes on to tell about how God deals with people who have been separated from Him by past events or experiences. God finds ways to bring us back to Himself.
In John 14, Jesus said that He is the Way to the Father. Romans 5:18 says, “…Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.” Jesus came to earth as the spotless sacrificial lamb, suffered and died on the cross, and was raised to life the third day. In doing this, Christ became the Way that God provided for people to be brought back to Him. All those who come to Him through Jesus Christ can enjoy wonderful relationship with the almighty, all-loving, God, both now and forever. What joy!
However, even we who live in right relationship with God through Christ can put distance between ourselves and Him in daily life. We let busy-ness, distractions, sins, or bad habits draw us away, or we get lazy and start to drift from closeness with the Lord. Our merciful God has devised ways to bring us back then also. In James 4:8, God tells us to draw near to Him, and He will draw near to us. 1 John 1:9 tells us what to do about sin—confess it and receive forgiveness. In John 16, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit who helps us get back on track when we’ve gotten off.
We also have God’s written Word to bring us back to Him when we’ve wandered. Timothy 3:16-17 says,“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” God’s Holy Spirit lives in us revealing the truths in the Scriptures and applying them to our lives.