448. God will Return
Malachi 3:7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
God promises to return to us. We turned away from Him; but He is the one who returns. Although it is we who have turned away from Him, separated ourselves by our sin, neglected His commands, and did not do what He says, He is the one who returns to us. This is a conditional promise: if you return to me, then I will return to you. God is not the one who walked away so that He must retrace His steps back to us. He is already here just waiting for us to look at Him. It may appear that God is doing the turning, but in reality it is us who return.
The good news is that it is the Lord who causes us to return and turn to Him. He uses the Word of God and the experiences of life to prompt us to return to the One who is already waiting. Return = repent. The Word reminds us of our sin and failures and shortcomings. The world we live in reminds us of the condition we are in caused by sin and rebellion. Our own flesh continues to desire selfish wants and pleasures. The devil is always there to remind us of our sin. Then the Gospel reminds us of the mercy, grace, and forgiveness of the Lord. He is waiting at the gate, looking down the lane, while we remember that we don’t belong in the pigsty eating the pigs’ food. The gospel says we have a merciful Father waiting with outstretched arms to receive and forgive and have a party.
So the Lord says, “Repent of your sin, turn from your own ways, and believe the Gospel. Then I will come to you, forgive you, and give you a new life.” The invitation is always open and welcome: Return, and I will return. This returning (repentance and faith) is not a one-time event, but it is a daily necessity. We never stop turning away and we never stop returning. And the Lord never stops returning to us.