If you return

Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord; and enter His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the Lord your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you. For if you return to the Lord, your brethren and your children will be treated with compassion by those who lead them captive, so that they may come back to this land; for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him.” - 2 Chronicles 30:8-9

How often do we read the word of God and discover a God who is holy and righteous and just and angry at sin and all those things – but at the same time we see that He is loving and compassionate and caring and patient and gracious and merciful?

Once again His people Israel were walking in their sinful ways. They kept wandering away from God – but God still called them back to Him.

And that's the way God is. I think about the father of the prodigal son and how despite all the son had done he patiently waited to him to come home. When he finally did the father opened his arms and ran to the son.

None of us are perfect – ‘prone to wander Lord we feel it, prone to leave the One I love’ the old song says. And sometimes we foolishly do wander.

But we can rest in the blessed assurance that when we wander our Father, like the father we mentioned above, in His grace and mercy will not refuse us. So if you are wandering, it's time to come home to our Heavenly Father.