When your phone is on silent mode, there are two usual reactions to notifications about missed calls: one is dread, and one is snark. Dread when we suddenly feel worried about a situation at home or at work that someone is trying to reach us about. The other reaction is snark, for calls we intentionally missed, or would have been happy to not take.
There however is a call we should not dare miss, and that is our Heavenly Father’s. He calls us when we are not being obedient, and yet He calls us too when we make the mark and is more than happy to bless us.
“Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall! Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips.” Hosea 14:1-2
There however are times when we do not answer His call. When we become too busy with His blessings, we sometimes fail to acknowledge Him. When we seek comfort elsewhere for trouble or pain that shook us to the core, we sulk and turn a deaf ear. There are also times when we choose to disobey Him for fleeting joys that we ignore His reminders.
Regardless of the reason we have for ignoring Him when He calls, let us keep in mind two truths that we can find in the Bible: that the Lord is compassionate enough to call on us relentlessly, and that there will be a time when there will be no more “next time.”
“Therefore, remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and I will remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.” Revelations 2:5
In the last chapter of the second book of Chronicles, it was written that God kept calling on the King of Judah and His people to repent from their sins and come back to Him. But they were so stubborn and they would not listen to the prophets He sent and the messages he conveyed through them.
“Yet the Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against His people, until there was no remedy.” 2 Chronicles 36:15-16
And so God’s judgement came to the stubborn people.The people suffered in the hands of the invaders, their treasures were taken from them, and the land became desolate, and they were all hauled off to Babylon.
“So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or frail; He handed them all over to him.” 2 Chronicles 36:17
As present-day people, the message of the above passages still rings true to us. Time will come that we can no longer repent and rectify our mistakes and come to the Lord. We do not own our lives after all, and we will never know when we will pass on.
When that happens, we do not only miss the opportunity to spend eternity in heaven with God, we also miss the opportunity to leave meaningful memories to our loved ones. Imagine dying without mending your ways and changing for the better? Passing on without leaving the legacy of leading a God-honoring life? Leaving earth without asking for forgiveness from loved ones you have deliberately hurt because of your wayward lifestyle, and ungodly choices?
“Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.” Revelation 3:2-3
And so while there is still air in our lungs, and blood running in our veins, let us take the chance to come to the feet of Jesus, say sorry for our sins, and promise a life of obedience and worship. We have the confidence to call on Him because unlike us humans, God does not deliberately ignore our calls to seek Him and repent.
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
Our troubles may not get magically solved when we come to Jesus. We would still suffer the consequences for our bad choices even if we surrender our lives to Him. But the good news is, while we face our struggles, we now have a better foundation to stand on, an Everlasting Father we can cling on.
We will now have a living hope that will help us endure suffering, and power us to start doing good moving forward. In time, we will bear fruit, and our efforts to abide and please our God, will be rewarded with peace, love, and joy in our hearts. We will possess Godly blessings that money can never buy and this world cannot take away. So when we hear Him calling on to us, let us not harden our hearts.
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,” Acts 3:19
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to
ponder on 2 Chronicles 36:14-21 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Have you heard God calling you? Have you responded to Him already?
Conversation with the Lord: Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for your relentless call for me to come back to you. I am sorry it took me so long to hear you. Please grant me the mercy to always hear your guiding voice if ever I stumble upon a dark path, so that I could always find my way back to you. Amen.
