It’s been a long day at work when I stop at school to pick up my little girl. I know where she’ll be, out back in the pavilion playing with the other after-school kids. I start across the field and she sees me and smiles. As she begins to run toward me, I run toward her catching her up in my arms and swinging her around. The cares and worries of the day melt away in that precious moment.
That day is now a memory for she has long grown taller than me. I no longer swing her around, but still feel joy at her approach.
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Do you ever feel distant from God? Perhaps you've felt close to Him before but no longer do. Or maybe you’ve never really felt His presence. Whether it was yesterday or hasn’t happened before, He is waiting for you- watching to see if and when you will return to Him. God doesn’t forsake us. When we feel separated from Him it is because we moved away.
In the Bible story of the prodigal son, the father watches anxiously for his son’s return. When finally the son approaches, there is no waiting for the son to walk to the house and knock on the door. In eagerness, the father lifts up his garments, to make certain he can move unhindered, and runs to his son. The father’s joy is great at the homecoming.
God is the father in the story. He waits for our return any time we are apart, searching eagerly for evidence of our homecoming. When we approach, He makes no mention of reprimand. It is enough that we saw the error of our ways and have come home. Is today, right now, your moment to run to Him?
Message for the Journey:
Though children grow too big to be swept up in their parent’s arms, no one is ever too big or too old for God’s arms. He is waiting for you to come so that He may hold you near. Go ahead; step into His loving embrace.
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
James 4:8a
©Ann Wilds
Amen! So thankful for the truth in this post, Ann.
ReplyDeleteChristmas Blessings, my friend.