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•A Prayer to Return to God•By Anthony Valente👉 “For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn His face from you, if you return to Him.” (2 Chronicles 30:9)The Bible is filled with promises that we can cling to for every single situation that we encounter in our lives. Though written thousands of years ago, its message is still pertinent for the modern crazy times that we are currently living in. The words of today's Bible verse were spoken to the nation of Israel by King Hezekiah. This verse states that the Lord is our God. It tells us that He is gracious and merciful, and then the verse promises that He won’t turn away from us. This message of truth is timeless. It encouraged the nation of Israel to turn back to God, and for us today, the message exhorts us to do the same. Let's look at each of the promises that this verse gives about God. This verse says that God is gracious. This means that He looks on you with favor, with delight. He values you, and He treasures you. The realization of this should fill your hearts and minds with incredible joy!Another promise in this verse says that God is merciful. This means that He withholds His judgment from you, the pain that you so deserve for your sins. Instead, He hears your prayers. He forgives you, comforts you, heals you, and truly cares about the things that cause you stress in your life. The next phrase in this verse says that He will not turn His face from you. When God turns His face from you, it means that you are in a place of spiritual darkness, separated from the presence of God. Jesus felt this when He hung on the cross and, in despair, cried out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Spiritual darkness is not a place that you want to be. Your sin causes that separation from God. Instead, long to have the face of God looking at you, showing His favor toward you, and having His presence with you. These three phrases are incredible promises about God, but how do you receive God’s graciousness, mercy, and keeping His eyes on you? Due to their sin, the Israelites had walked away from following God. They had to be reminded by a godly king of who God is and what He could be to them. To have those three promises be true in your life, you must focus on what you can do. That answer is found in the next five words: “If you return to Him.” “If you return to Him.” As you look at your spiritual walk, your time spent in studying the Bible, your time in prayer, your attitudes, your habits, your personal choices — where are the areas that you need to return to God in? What are the things that are keeping you from knowing and following God more? The ones that immediately come to mind are the very areas that God wants you to leave behind as you return to Him today. Begin to view your leaving those things behind not as a sacrifice or as a loss but as a returning to the Lord. Your obedience to God in this will place you in a position of greater understanding of how God is being gracious and merciful to you. Your eyes will be opened to see how He is turning His face toward you in love. Returning to the Lord with ALL your heart, soul and strength should be the focus and desire for every moment of your lives (Matthew 22:37).For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him. Cling to these words of promise and blessing as you walk into each of the circumstances you face today. Let’s pray.🙏 Dear Lord,Thank You for being gracious and merciful to me. Thank You for the promise that You will not turn Your face from me if I return to You. Forgive me Lord for allowing other things to take priority and for taking my focus off You. Help me Lord to obey Your commands, to choose Your way every time. Let me Lord not be swayed by the choices of those around me, but to keep my eyes always on You. In Your name I pray,AMEN 🙏 Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.(Isaiah 1:18)Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.(Joel 2:13)Turn back to me! I have rescued you and swept away your sins as though they were clouds.(Isaiah 44:22)So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.(1 John 1:9)Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.(Acts 3:19)But then if you turn back to me and do what I have commanded you, I will bring you back to the place where I have chosen to be worshiped, even though you are scattered to the ends of the earth.’(Nehemiah 1:9)Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.(Psalm 80:3)I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.(Jeremiah 24:7)But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.(Hosea 12:6)But now, this is what the LORD says – he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.(Isaiah 43:1-2)Let us examine and test our ways, and turn back to the LORD. (Amen!)(Lamentations 3:40)Bring us back to You, God. Turn the light of Your face upon us so that we will be rescued from this sea of darkness.(Psalm 80:3)(pic verse)For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.(Jeremiah 29:11-13)Artist 👩‍🎨 Debbie Clark - Artist