Zechariah 1:3 "Thus says the Lord of hosts: Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts."
Malachi 3:7 "From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you," says the LORD of hosts. "But you say, 'How shall we return?'"
A few weeks ago a headline caught my eye. "God Isn't Fixing This" - that day man's inhumanity to man again (however briefly) commanded our collective attention. The image of a wife armed to the teeth as she and her husband executed mass murder created fear which reached across every level of society. Call in radio shows were full of expressions of fear and expert statements decrying the rise of anxiety, pain, panic and hate in America, France and the "West". We heard of neighbours turning against neighbour fearing they had been "radicalized." In "God Isn't Fixing This" the editors essentially quipped: ya thanks for the prayers but prayers are useless. "God Isn't Fixing This" called for concrete action and assets to be brought to bear to effect change; they argued that prayers are not enough. However, our history clearly draws us to a different truth: there are not enough prayers.
"God Isn't Fixing This" presumes that we can fix this. This is our error - it is symptomatic of our illness. As we turn to "me" we are turning further from God and things are not getting better. Scripture tells us that this has been the persistent condition in our misguided existence; that we have exchanged greatness (our intimacy with God) for error (our way apart from God). We are hurt by this. Yet we persist. Why are we so determined to turn from Him? We are destroyed by our lack of knowledge. Our ways are not His ways. We judge Him foolish. Yet the broken road of our history belies the presumption: we can't fix it. Things are not getting better. History shows our fixes lead to larger brokenness.
Our hearts are far from God but God is never far from us.
We've tried the human fix for over 2000 years. Can we try God's way now? "IF My people, who are called by My Name will humble themselves and [IF My people will] pray and [IF My people will] seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I [your God] will hear from heaven, and I will forgive sin and will heal the land." "Be full of wonder at this; be full of Joy, O heavens." God is with us - He stands at our door and knocks.
Perhaps this will be the Christmas. Perhaps this will be the one when we return to our God. Our history is a long and broken road but it has lead us to an old and seldom used door. There we hear the persistent urgent sound of One knocking. We hear a voice calling out. Again this Christmas, like 2000 and more that have gone before we stand on the threshold. Can this be the Christmas we finally seek His face? Can this finally be the Christmas we become children of God. Can this Christmas finally be the moment we set ourselves aside and accept God's Way. Can this finally be the day when we open that door and see the face of the Christ of Christmas? Let us pray.
Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me."
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