Two steps back, one step forward
"But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and obey him. For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath." Deuteronomy 4:29-31
How can two steps backward require only one step forward and then you’ll be back on track again?
On a normal setup, two steps back means two step forward to be on the exact position again. But for God, even when you take two, or five, even ten, hundred or a thousand steps backward, He will only need you to have one single step forward and you’ll be right on track once more.
"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8
I always have this question in mind every time I go astray from the Lord, “How can I go near God again when I feel so far from Him right now?” And every time I ask this to myself, one answer pops up in my mind telling me that I was never far because the truth is God never left my side at all, and He’ll never even try to leave me as He promised. And this is so true to me because when I feel disconnected to God and then suddenly decide to want to go back, I find Him easily. What I thought would be hard wasn’t hard at all because GOD PURSUES ME. It is in His nature to pursue all the people He loves dearly. Well, just look at His chosen people, who, despite being stiff-necked were unconditionally loved by our good good Father.
Another thing I would like to highlight in this rhema verse is that the scripture gives light and a new perspective to life’s difficulties. When other people sees trials as a punishment, God uses it as a doorway to his presence and comfort. When other people sees it as a curse, God uses it as a tool to bless. When everyone calls it a mess, God turns it into a message. Even when He disciplines us, He makes use of it as a way to make us closer to Him and not the opposite.
So next time you feel distant from God, never mind how many steps you took backward, your Heavenly Father only requires your wholehearted decision to take a single step towards Him.
