Return to Me Part I

Read: Zechariah 1
“Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Return to Me,” declares the LORD of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says the LORD of hosts.” Zechariah 1:3

Examine:
God was preparing to restore Israel and there were a lot of great things taking place. As He spoke through Zechariah, He reminded them of the failures of their fathers and warned them to not follow their example. There were three choices at the heart of every failure of the forefathers; they disobeyed a direct word from God, they delayed in following God, or they doubted the integrity of God.

Apply:
For me this starts with doubting God’s integrity. Integrity means that someone is incorruptible, sound, and complete. It means they always speak according to their values and always do as they speak. Trusting in and relying on the integrity of God is a huge weakness of mine. I struggle to write those words, but they are true.

There is a chorus of voices that always seems to say, “What if none of this is real? What if God has not forgiven you? What if the Bible is not correct? What if…?” The “What if’s” seem to open the doors to doubts and then I start hedging my bets. I doubt God’s integrity and then it opens the door for me to live life according to my preferred terms. I do things my way and God is in the background blessing, protecting and insuring my efforts.

Pray:
For 3 days I have sat with this one verse and just stared at it. I know that You are asking me to return to You and I come today ready to submit but afraid of what that means. I no longer want to doubt Your integrity. Your ways are perfect and complete. You are the one, true, only living God. You created the heavens and sent Your Son as atonement. I have been made complete by my acceptance of Your grace. All that was in Jesus has been made available to me. All that is in my life is subject to Your sovereign hand. Every promise You have ever spoken is mine through Jesus.

This also means that my life is no longer mine. I can’t choose my destiny or make my own way. I am no longer able to tend to my own cravings and desires. In accepting the promises that are mine, I also accept the conditions that apply. A covenant is a two-way agreement. Many days I want the terms to only apply to Your side of the covenant. I want You to do all that You say without fail, but I rarely want to be inconvenienced in fulfilling my side of the deal.

Confession is the beginning of healing. Confession is honestly the only thing I can do. Your Word says when I confess and repent You heal, restore, and rebuild. I want to be where You are leading and as frightening as it is, I release my hold on my life to You and agree to stop trying to control things. Your integrity promises to guide my steps and lead me in the best ways. I trust You. These words have never been harder to utter than they are today. Obedience to You has never been more overwhelming than it is right now. Keep me strong for I do not want to follow the example of my forefathers. I do not want to doubt Your integrity, lessen my faith, or lose my crown. Make my weak knees strong, my cloudy mind clear, and my timid faith bold!