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“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (HCSB)

Last year, for the first time in my spiritual life, my faith was shaken in a way that I wasn’t prepared. I cried. I prayed. I read scripture. Yet, nothing changed with what I was going through. Where was the God of comfort I was told was there for me?

And then one day I stopped. I stopped praying. I stopped reading. I stopped singing. My heart was broken, and I gave up that it would ever be healed. Months went by before I admitted to anyone that I was going through the motions. That I was a functioning Christian and not a faithful one.

However, the effects of this spiritual limbo eventually became evident. I was angry all the time. I felt lost and alone. I withdrew. My anxiety increased. I was exhausted from keeping up the charade.
But how could I come back to God now? I had turned away from Him, wouldn’t He do the same?

Fortunately, the answer is no. God will never turn us away when we come to Him. His word speaks to us in the present tense. His command isn’t contingent on how many times we have already come before Him. It is based on what we need to do right now, even if we have already done it before. The “Come to me” scripture appears in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. If God’s commands are repeated, then they must be important. Not just because we need to hear it more than once, but also to remind us that we will often need to repeat the behavior.

As I slowly make my way back, it helps to know that no matter how far away I have gotten, I can return at any time. He will not turn me away and His promise is that if I come, He will be there. John 6:37says “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” While I don’t know why I went through what I did, or why God was silent during that time, what I do know, is I still belong to Him. And that’s enough for now.

Are you far from God today? Are you unsure if you can come back? He isn’t going to turn His back or turn you away because you messed up. He is simply going to do what He promises and welcome you back.

“Lord, you are faithful to us even when we are not. Thank You for being true to Your promises.”

For His Glory

Josey Bozzo
TRBC Women’s Life