Jeremiah 29:12-14
“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all nations and all the places I have driven you.”
“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all nations and all the places I have driven you.”
Sometimes it is easy to assume that because we are in saving relationship with Christ, there is no longer any need to turn from sin. We develop a prayer life that revolves around asking for things we need, desiring God’s voice, etc, which is all good, but in doing so we run the risk of missing his plan and purpose in the process.
What’s beautiful is we are adopted sons & daughters, we have multiple opportunities to start over. Israel missed it, but we don’t have to follow in their footsteps. We can come to Jesus, cry out for his comforting presence, and allow him to move in the way he wants to move. He wants to be found, but he can only be found when we come to the end of ourselves.
Matthew 23:37 “O Jerusalem, how often I would have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”
Malachi 1:10 “oh that there were one of you who would shut the doors that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain.”
Hebrews 3:8 “today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness…”
Revelation 3:17-22 “for you say ‘I am rich’…not realizing that you are poor, pitiable, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness…those whom I love, I discipline , so be zealous and repent…behold, I stand at the door and knock.”
How beautiful that God gives us opportunities to start over. He is knocking, waiting for us to want what he wants, to see what he sees, to feel what he feels, to know what he knows – and it begins with repentance. So, take a second today and turn to Jesus. Make that choice to take hold of his second chance and knock on his door.