“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
Let all Israel repeat:
“His faithful love endures forever.”
 Let Aaron’s descendants, the priests, repeat:
“His faithful love endures forever.”
 Let all who fear the Lord repeat:
“His faithful love endures forever.”
 In my distress I prayed to the Lord,
and the Lord answered me and set me free.”

Psalm 118:1-5

There is an old saying, “You can never go home.”  Growing into adulthood, I found this to be true.  Ask any parent with a returning college student, and they will tell you that things just aren’t the same when they return.  In my own case, after a couple of years of being gone, the transition to return “home,” was difficult.  It was stifling.  I felt confined and the very things that had brought me comfort as a child brought me great irritation as an adult.  And I am sure my mother was just as frustrated with me as I was with her.

The Christian journey is very much like normal life isn’t it?  Sometimes we seek God, we feel close to Him, and welcome His presence.  But then I have had other times in which I strayed very far from God.  In those times, the thought of living in communion with Him was very confining and uncomfortable.  So my prayer life ceased, my Bible study became non-existent, and my worship life was hollow.  Normally it was in these times that I was either doing or contemplating doing something that was not in God’s will for me.  And I knew it full well.  So I just ignored Him and did it anyway.

My end result from these excursions away from God has always been the same.  I would stray off course, enjoy the party for a while, find myself in a mess, and like the psalmist, cry out in distress.  And being the good Parent He is, He always comes running to pick me up and carry me away from whatever trouble I’ve gotten myself into.

Do I deserve His graciousness toward me after all the times I have treated Him like a safety net?  No.  Do I fully understand this concept of grace that motivates Him to keep rescuing me?  Definitely not. Do I believe that I can always run home to my heavenly Father when I have made a mistake?  Absolutely.  Do I trust that His great arms will always be there waiting to take me back in?  No doubt.  I just have to cry out.

Friends, if you are far from God and can’t seem to find your way home, I urge to trust His love and faithfulness for you.  No matter what we have done, He is always willing to welcome us back with open arms.  And nothing would make Him happier than to hear your voice calling “Father,” right now.  We are all only one prayer away from His grace, His mercy and His unending love for us.

Abba,

You are my heavenly Father.  I have done things and made many choices that have taken me far from You.  I don’t know how to get back to that place where Your love and mercy abound.  Please forgive me for the mistakes I have made.  Please bring me back into communion with You and show me how to start over.  Be gracious to me because of Your unfailing love.  And teach me to walk the paths of righteousness…again.  And I will praise You from the depths of my soul, for You are the God of second chances.

In my Savior’s name I pray,

Amen