Friday, July 23, 2021

Traveling In The Wrong Direction

G.K. Chesterton was a famous English writer. He is held in high esteem for his poetry, respected for his work as a journalist and his writings in the field of philosophy. He was once named by Time magazine as a "man of colossal genius."

 Once, while traveling on a train, he became so engrossed in the book he was reading that he forgot his destination. As the train made its last stop, the conductor went to him and said, "Sir, this is the end of the line."

He frantically searched his pockets for his ticket but could not find it. Not being able to find it, he looked bewildered and confused. Sensing his predicament, the conductor asked, "Where were you going?"

After a lengthy pause, he said to the conductor, "I can't remember. I'll have to phone my wife and ask her."

The writer of Psalm 80 recognized that the children of Israel had abandoned their relationship with God. With a heavy heart, he prayed, "Restore us, O God, make Your face shine upon us that we may be saved." Realizing that they were going in the wrong direction, he asked God to "restore them, turn them around and save them." And He did!

Throughout history, from the dawn of Creation until this very moment, God has never abandoned anyone. It is always the other way around: we abandon Him.

A mother received a letter from her son in prison. In his despair he wrote her and said that he got into trouble because God had abandoned him. With a heart filled with love and sadness for him and his situation, she wrote, "Son, if you do not feel the closeness of God, it is because you have left Him."

Prayer:  We thank You, Lord, for Your promise that You will never leave us nor forsake us – no matter what! May we find You and follow You – faithfully! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved. Psalm 80:3

Please leave a comment and tell us how you were helped by today's Devotional!

2 comments:

  1. I am so happy to see this and I am reminded that God never leaves us but we leave him. Oh what an awakening for all of us. Thank you.

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  2. Thank you for this devotional. Yes, everytime we feel separated from God, we need to take a hard look at ourselves because that is where the problem lies.

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