Return to God

We are living in a strange time. I just shake my head as I watch the news in the evening. I find myself asking, “Is this true? Am I missing something? Are my beliefs wrong?” I just sit there and shake my head. Nothing makes any sense.

How quickly things have changed. Anger and hatred are prevalent everywhere. It’s hard to have a conversation where both sides listen to the other without getting angry. How long will this go on? Is this the new normal? People say it’s political. Others say it’s one of the long-haul effects of COVID.

I don’t know the cause, but the things I do know help me stay grounded. I believe God never changes. He is the same yesterday and today, and he will be the same tomorrow. God is not distant. He has not walked away from us. We have turned our back on him. We, in America, have chosen to go our own way to be our own god. Hasn’t that been the human response since God created us back in Genesis 3? Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Didn’t they really want to be their own god or be equal with God?

I’m reminded of 2 Chronicles 7:14, in which God invites the Israelites to return to him and promises, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and forgive their sins and heal their land.” I believe this promise is held out to us today. We always think everybody else is the problem. I believe we must look within first, humble ourselves, and seek his face. The answer is each one of us returning to God.

It is my prayer that America will return to him.

Sincerely,
Jon Oldham
Executive Director