What do we know about turning our hearts to God? Have you ever been lost for a while before you realized it? I remember a time many years ago when we lost track of our little boy in very crowed museum in Chicago. I quickly looked around and seconds seemed like hours as I tried to see where he had gone. In just a few minutes we were able to find him as he harmlessly looked at something in the museum. Ironically, he didn’t know he was lost, but I did.
Our relationship with God can also be that way. Long before we even realize we are lost, our Lord, who is the Good Shepherd, knows we are lost. We should be turning our hearts to God, but we can’t do it on our own. God knows without His intervention that we would never find our way back to safety.
The Lord Calls the Israelites Hearts Back to Him
The Israelites felt distant from God and felt that the Lord had abandoned them, but nothing could be further from the truth. By grace He sent the prophet Samuel to the people to guide them back to God’s presence.
1 Samuel 7:3 Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you want to return to the Lord with all your hearts, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Turn your hearts to the Lord and obey him alone; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” 4 So the Israelites got rid of their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worshiped only the Lord. [1]
God could have left the people in their sin, but it is God’s nature to call us away from death and destruction to new life and transformation that can only be found in Him.
Our Lord Calls Us to Turn Our Hearts Back to Him
Our awesome God is constantly giving opportunities to turn our hearts to Him! God healed the Israelites’ hearts when they turned back to God and He can heal your heart. Ask the Lord in prayer to show you the sin that is preventing you from turning your heart back to God. The Lord is faithful and as we honestly ask the Lord, He will show us.
Ask the Lord to forgive you for the sins He has shown you and to help you to move in a different direction. Yes, we do have times when we fall back to our old ways of sin but continue to ask the Lord to forgive you and to help you overcome what is entangling you. Philippians 4:13For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. [2]
Prayer
Lord, I thank you for all you’ve done for me. I just pray that you would change me, oh God. Please guide my heart and help me to grow into the person you want me to be. Rather than me following my own ways, please purify my heart and make me more like you. Please guide my path and help me take steps that will guide me toward your plan for my life and not my own whims. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. [3]
To hear more about turning our hearts to God, listen here: https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/faith-makes-a-difference-samuel
[1,2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
[3] https://insider.pureflix.com/prayer-faith/prayers-for-heart-and-life-change