God loves me even when I stray

In Christian circles, the term backslider refers to people who have confessed faith in Jesus Christ and begun their walk with God, but have turned away, no longer going to church and appearing to be uninterested in serving the Lord as they once did.

The reasons (or excuses) are many. For some, life becomes too busy and in deciding their priorities, God gets moved to the bottom of the list. For others, someone in the church has done something they did not expect, want or appreciate so they angrily stay away. Some get mad at God because they think life is not fair. Some are lured away by false teachers. Whatever the reason, God is zealous toward them and wants them to return to the faith He gave them.

The most notable example in the Bible is the nation of Israel. Their biggest problem was idolatry, not a surprise because the world around them was steeped in idol worship. To remain faithful to God in such a setting was simply more than they could do.

Yet God held them accountable to do it, sent prophet after prophet to warn them, and finally allowed a nation worse than they were to conquer them and take them into captivity. After seventy years in Babylon, Israel stopped their idol worship and turned back to their faith. (In fact, their faith was so strong that it lasted four hundreds years, or at least a half dozen generations, from the last Old Testament prophet until Jesus was born.)

I cannot condemn backsliders. I know the challenges of staying the course and remaining zealous for the Lord who saved me. I also know the sinfulness of my heart and how easy it is to turn to my own ways, doing whatever pleases me and ignoring God.

The amazing part of this is that God is patient with backsliders. He warns, challenges, and works to restore those who fall away, even though our sin makes Him both sad and angry. As a Father who loves His children, He says:

For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would fail before Me, and the souls which I have made. For the iniquity of his covetousness I was angry and struck him; I hid and was angry, and he went on backsliding in the way of his heart. I have seen his ways, and will heal him; I will also lead him, and restore comforts to him and to his mourners. “I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near,” Says the Lord, “And I will heal him” (Isaiah 57:16-19).

As I read these verses, I’m struck with one phrase, “I will . . . restore comforts to him and to his mourners.” This is a revelation of the heart of God. He is not jealous just for His own sake (even though He is entirely worthy of our devotion and worship), but cares deeply about His people. He knows that when we love and obey Him, we are at our best in that all that we do, and also our lives have meaning, purpose and significance. It is in living as we were created to live that we find our truest joy — and God wants that for His children.

The other part of this phrase encourages me. I’m not turned away from God (even though I have at times), but do feel as if I am one of those who mourn over those who are backslidden. Because His great heart is both sorrowful and angry when His people foolishly stray, and because His Spirit lives in me, I suppose that some of what I feel are His feelings transferred to my heart. I know His desire for restoration, and I know His sorrow and frustration. Because I’m sad and even mourn the loss (albeit temporary) of His children’s devotion, God’s great heart considers my grief and promises to comfort me too.

In realizing how God thinks and how much He loves His people, I am both humbled and revived with increasing desire to love and serve Him forever.