What to Do When You are Far from God: Part 2 — A ‘Time With God’ Audio Devotion

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Transcript

Good morning.

Heading into Tuesday, I hope you’re ready for a good day. We start the day the best way possible by just opening the Bible and reading a little bit of what God has said to us and learning something that helps to shape our lives in the best way possible.

If you’ve been doing that for long, you know that this is one of the most important things you can do in your life. Let God shape your thinking, the God who made this universe and you and knows how your life will work the best.

We’re talking all this week on the topic when you are far from God.

You’re never far from God, of course, in that He’s always there. He’s always ready to respond to you when you turn to Him, but often we do find ourselves far from God. You may never have come close to God. You may just live a secular, self-centered life, or you may be a Christian and you feel like you’ve wandered away from God. He’s no longer the most important person in your life. Well, we said yesterday, your first step is to recognise that you need God.

We’re looking at the story Jesus told about a son who went away from his father, far away, lived a godless life, embarrassing to his father, and found himself in a place of desperate need and came back to his father. Jesus told this story to represent people who find themselves far from God.

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Step one, recognise that you need God. And this young man came to a place of desperation in his life. He hit rock bottom, and he remembered that even the servants in his father’s house, uh, his father took care of them, and here he was having to feed pigs and so desperate for food he was longing to eat even what the pigs ate, and no one would even give that to him.

Well, step number 2 on your journey to being right with God is to come to God on His terms. Come to God on His terms. Jesus’ story continues. When that young man came to himself, Jesus said, he said, how many of my Father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger. I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Just treat me as one of your hired servants… and he arose and came to his father.

Well this is how we need to come to God too.

Not proud and as if we’re doing God a big favour by getting right with Him. Poor God, who’s waiting for me to get right with Him. No, I’m the one who has offended God with my life. I’m the one who’s been pushing God away, even though He is the one who created this universe and me and is in charge of and in control of all things. No, I’m the one who has to come to God and say, God – I know you designed my life for it to work right when you are at the centre of it and I’ve just been pushing you away, leaving you out of my life. And as I look at the mess I’m making of my life, I realise the people who serve you and honour you, you take care of them. Their lives have a wholeness and a rightness that I am totally missing. I may be successful, in my business or in my finances, but in my inner life I know I need you, so I’m in coming to you on your terms. I want to be right with you.

Well, that’s what the Bible calls repentance, turning around and making things right with God on God’s terms. It means coming to God with humility, knowing that you can’t make things work on your own, knowing that you need Him, coming to Him and saying, God, I’m a broken person. Everyone else might think I’ve got it all together. But you and I know better, and so I’m coming to you. I’m desperate. God, please help me.

Well, if that’s where you are, you can be confident when you come to God with that attitude, God is already waiting for you, so ready to help you, and that’s where we’re going to look at tomorrow morning.

I’m John North.