Fresh Mannaby Pastor Tim Burt
More often than you’d think, someone will tell me, “I love God, but I feel lost. I feel like I’ve drifted from Him, and the love I once had for the Lord feels cold. What should I do? I’m not sure how I got here, and I don’t know how to get back.”
Our relationship with God is just that—a relationship. When two people intentionally nurture a relationship, love deepens, and intimacy grows. But when we take a relationship for granted and stop investing in it, distance sets in. The same is true with God, except for one thing—it’s never His fault. His love for us never fades, never weakens, never changes. He is always drawing near; He is always pursuing us.
Even David, the man God described as having a heart after Him, knew what it felt like to drift. He cried out in Psalm 119:176 (NLT), “I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands.” Did you catch that? He had wandered, yet he hadn’t forgotten God’s commands. That sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it? But knowing what God wants and actually doing it are two very different things.
The religious leaders in Jesus’ time certainly didn’t forget God’s laws. They studied them, taught them, and held others accountable to them. But Jesus called them out because they weren’t living them. He said in Matthew 23:1-3 (NIV), “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.” David, however, wasn’t like them. He was willing to stop and ask for directions when he got lost. He knew exactly what to do to find his way back to God.
First, he cried out for help, fully believing that God would answer. He had confidence in God’s promise to restore him. He prayed in Psalm 119:170 (NIV), “May my supplication [request] come before you; deliver me according to your promise.”
Second, he reignited his love for God by remembering all the ways God had been faithful. He filled his mouth with praise, fixing his heart on who God is. Even when he didn’t feel close, he worshipped in faith, trusting that God’s mercy and love would draw him back and refresh the feelings of love that He longed for. He declared in Psalm 119:171-172 (NIV), “May my lips overflow with praise, for you teach me your decrees. May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous.”
Third, David knew he had to obey God. It wasn’t enough to know what God wanted—he had to act on it. Ignoring God’s voice had led him astray, and he wasn’t going to make that mistake again. When he had fallen into sin with Bathsheba, he knew he had ignored God’s warnings. But instead of running away in shame, he ran toward God. He cried out for restoration and made a decision to live in obedience. In Psalm 119:173-175 (NIV), he prayed, “May your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts. I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight. Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me.”
When we stray, the enemy loves to magnify our failures. He whispers shame and condemnation, hoping to convince us that we’ve messed up too badly to return. He wants to make us feel so unworthy that we wouldn’t dare run back to God. But that’s exactly why we must be like David. Run to God, not from Him!
If you do what David did—if you cry out to God, if you turn your heart back to Him and stop ignoring His voice—your intimacy with Him will be restored. It won’t happen because of your feelings but because of His faithfulness. And when you do, you’ll see His promise in Malachi 3:7 come to life: “‘You have not kept my laws and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
So don’t stay stuck in the distance. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Surround yourself with the community of other believers. God works mightily in the fellowship of like-minded Christians. He will speak to you through your Pastor but also through other Christians that you grow with together. Get into church and sit under anointed teaching. God will use the instruction of His Word to encourage you and stir your love for Him again. He hasn’t moved. He hasn’t stopped loving you. And He is always ready to welcome you back into His arms.
James 4:8 (NKJV) " Draw near to God and He will draw near to you..."In His love,Pastor Tim Burt
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