Returning To God

The problem with prayer and specifically, praying for a person or a people to return to God, is that one does not know to what measure circumstances and situations will have to occur in order for the return to take place. Like rescuing someone from disaster, the intervention may still involve some damage

It's almost foolish to think we could and would pray for God to work in someone's life and change their heart without some struggle and difficulty. That there wouldn't be some resistance. Like trying to get someone's attention. The longer they ignore your attempts, the louder and stronger you work to get them to take notice.

It does, in fact, take God working the miraculous, which often involves a spirit of brokenness, in order to bring people to the place where they acknowledge their need for Him and that it comes from a spirit of love, not spite, revenge or judgement.

Imagine the quandary of God's sovereignty. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all come to repentance through His Son, Jesus Christ. He is able to take what was meant to destroy us and use it for His good. He has plans and purposes to prosper, not to harm. He stands at the door of your heart and knocks; meaning He's not busting in, but as a gentleman, waiting patiently for you to respond to Him. Having said all of that, He sent His Son to rescue the lost and the dying, spiritually. Nothing happens in this world without His ordinance or His permission. For even Satan couldn't rise against Job without speaking with God regarding Him.

So what will it take for people and nations of all kinds to return to God? I don't know. That said, I don't exactly want to wait until we are on the brink of disaster to discover to what extents God will go to rescue us before we cross the line of eternity.

If there is a decision today that can be made that would guard against an "unknown" risk factor, why would one wait?

Pray, this #effectiveSunday, that decisions to return to God would be made today! Pray that many would understanding that it is indeed possible to miss out on eternity by waiting too long to acknowledge and accept Christ as Lord & Savior. May the love of God be made real, that regardless of the situations people find themselves in this morning, that He still loves them, has a plan for their lives and desires relationship with them. Pray the saving grace of Christ on the cross be made apparent. Pray that the knowledge of man, past experiences and characterizations who people THINK God is, are set aside for the TRUTH of who God is. May this be a day, that many come one step closer to the fulfillment of the promise that one day, every knee will acknowledge JESUS IS LORD!!

For the glory of God and the cause of Jesus Christ. May many return HOME to God, before eternity calls their number.

-PNC

---