It can be difficult to approach God when something is wrong. It is easy to be intimidated if a struggle is ongoing or a sin has recently occurred. Days go by, maybe even weeks, months or years. In many ways it is like a personal relationship that has fallen apart. The time that has passed adds to the problem, making communication awkward. Is the relationship something you are willing to let go?
With God, the answer has to be, “No.” You cannot afford to let that one slip. Unfortunately, our personal relationships sometimes pass the point of no return. It can be difficult to find common ground or reestablish trust. Even if both parties are willing, things may never return to the way they were before.
Our relationship with God is not like that. No matter how long it has been, or how far you have wandered astray, there is a way back. If you have even the tiniest inkling that things are not right, that you have lost something that you need back, that door is open. Just acknowledging that you have been driven apart is the first step towards reconciliation. If only…
If only what? That is the deeply personal aspect of our problem. Possibly only you and God know what has driven you apart. And if you don’t know how it happened, rest assured, He does! “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2).
This is not saying that only a perfect person can cry out to God for help. Far from it. If that were so we would all be doomed. Your sincerity matters, though. “A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the Lord their God. Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto Thee; for Thou art the Lord our God” (Jeremiah 3:21-22).
Certainly we can ask Him for help overcoming our problems. However, it would be foolish to think that we could continue deliberately sinning and draw close to God at the same time. The two are utterly incompatible. Christ said, “No servant can serve two masters…” in Luke 16:13. Is it pride that keeps you from reestablishing a relationship with God? Are you unwilling to admit fault? Do you desire to continue deluding yourself that certain actions were necessary; that you really only did what you had to?
“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth (considers) the hearts” (Proverbs 21:2). This proverb cuts to the bone. Good luck finding someone who doesn’t have an explanation for why they did what they did. In the end, our excuses don’t matter. The standards of God are not suspended for our convenience. Sure, there may be reasons, and good ones, too. But repentance is an admission of guilt. It is saying, in spite of anything else, that I did wrong; that I need to do better and I cannot do it alone. It is the first step in having a relationship with God.
Whether you are first realizing you need Him or desiring reconciliation after a great deal of time, start there. The only way that can happen is through prayer. Do not walk away from your means of communicating with God. However difficult or awkward it may be at times, keep that line open.
We tend to think our own sins are the worst; that a person like me could never be forgiven. Sorry, but not one of us is nearly so special. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
If you’re hiding behind the idea that, “God wouldn’t want somebody like me,” forget it. That’s an excuse, a way for you to justify avoiding Him. Paul was actively attacking the saints when he was called, helping to persecute and put them to death (Acts 8 and 9). King David was found guilty of murder, adultery, and other sins and yet was called a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). When he confronted his guilt he repented bitterly and sincerely (Psalm 51). Who are you to say God has no use for you?
Even Jesus Christ said, “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me” (John 5:30). If we find ourselves separated from God, it is not His will that brought us there. Paul said, in 2 Timothy 2:22, “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart…” Continuing in verse 26, “And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”
It’s easy to forget that part. As we drift away from God we also drift out from under His protection. Our own human nature, and that of others, can be hard enough to contend with but there is also a spiritual aspect to the problems we face. Peter wrote about being humble and prayerful, about staying close to God for peace, protection and ultimate victory.
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon Him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you” (1 Peter 5:6-10).
There is no other way to true happiness and contentment in this life or to salvation in the next. We cannot achieve these things by ourselves. Continuing in a mistake is worse than making it in the first place. How can we have a relationship with God if we won’t communicate with Him?
Luke recorded that after observing Jesus praying, His disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray. A logical request. They had seen the healings and miracles that had taken place after some of Jesus’ prayers so they probably figured He knew how to do it right. You can read what is called “the Lord’s prayer” in Matthew 6 or Luke 11. Keep in mind they asked Him how to pray. It is a model of what to say, not a script to be repeated endlessly.
He began by addressing God, “Our Father in heaven,” the creator of mankind, and in saying “hallowed be Thy name” expressed the wish that God would be reverenced by all. To ask, “Thy kingdom come,” is to desire the pure system from above that will abolish the corrupt institutions with which man has plagued the world. “Thy will be done,” looks forward not only to the irresistible nature of God’s authority but the willingness of those who are called to carry it out.
“Our daily bread,” shows that God cares about our physical needs and that we can ask Him to provide for them. “Forgive us our sins/debts as we forgive others…” If we sin against a friend, we need their forgiveness to reestablish that relationship just as we need God’s forgiveness for the spiritual aspect. Can we expect that mercy from God or those around us if we are perpetually severe and hard hearted?
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” is a plea to help us avoid situations that would lead us to sin. Also for protection from those who would subvert us and the penalties of our own shortcomings. Evil can come from many places in addition to being a result of ungodly actions.
It is fitting to add that when we petition God, our Father in heaven, we should do so in the name of our savior, His Son. “And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it. If ye love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:13-15).
He also told us to have faith that what we ask can occur. “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24). A mature understanding would prevent us from making excessive or unnecessary requests. Such things do not necessarily benefit us and are inconsistent with the example of “our daily bread,” or what we actually need to get by.
Prayer is absolutely necessary to establish and maintain a relationship with God. It is a comfort and a support through all the trials we face. Do not let yourself or anything else rob you of that. Be humble, beg God for a fresh start and He will give you one.
Christ told the parable of the unjust judge in Luke 18 to encourage us to be persistent and prayerful. The judge finally took up the cause of a widow who bothered him day after day after day. He compared that to God and those He has called. Will He not act on our behalf when we cry out to Him over and over again? Do we not have problems that need solving, wounds that need healing, sins that need to be forgiven? Are there not enough problems in the world to keep us on our knees until Kingdom come? Do not suffer in silence. A good place to start is “Our Father in heaven…”
