Different Housemates
You would struggle to find two people as opposite as they were.
Reference: v.17 Why, Lord, do you make us wander from your ways and harden our hearts so we do not revere you?
Return for the sake of your servants,
the tribes that are your inheritance. (TNIV Bible)
Explore: We used to have two housemates – Kerryn, who was very clean and diligent, and Patrick, who struggled to clean up after himself let alone help with any other chores around the house.
Kerryn kept her space very neat and tidy and was always helping out with household jobs. Patrick, on the other hand, would just keep his bedroom door closed so we couldn’t see the chaos within and would often leave communal areas messy.
You would struggle to find two people as opposite as they were.
To begin with we would get frustrated at Patrick’s mess, but by the end it was more of a joke. We would see food scraps left out on the bench and start blaming Kerryn for it.
Knowing full well that Kerryn would never leave the kitchen dirty we would all laugh and cry out, “Kerryn! Stop leaving food scraps all over the kitchen! That Kerryn is so hard to live with! Hehehe.”
Kerryn graciously accepted our joking as she knew it was our way of sarcastically thanking her for not actually being difficult to live with.
Application: I thought of this sarcastic joking when I read Isaiah 63:17. God’s followers were asking God why He was the one who made them wander away from Him.
God turning away His people is as likely as Kerryn leaving a dirty plate in the loungeroom! It doesn’t happen.
When we commit to God, He is faithful to us until the very end. If we feel distant from our Saviour then we need to look at our own actions, not the actions of our committed Lord.
The ways of the world often look so appealing that we don’t notice we have wandered from God until the distance is so great. It is so fortunate that we worship a mighty, loving Saviour who is willing to go the extra mile to meet back with us, every single time we wander.
Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we wander. Be patient with us when our attention is taken away from You. And call us back into Your loving arms when we find ourselves apart from You again. Amen.
How close do you feel to God right now?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.