Come Back

 

(photo from amazon.com)

Pastor Ken Willard repeatedly drew me back into his sermon; actually, quite appropriate, since he brought a “Come Back” message.

Using Micah 7:7-8, he began to call us back. Not just to God, but to the land of the living. Let’s face it, anyone who has a working television in their home, or who plays with social media has been affected by the current state of our nation.

“Therefore I will look unto the LORD, I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in the darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.” (KJV)

I’ll admit, I never understood the latter part of this verse: “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Proverbs 17:17 (KJV)

According to Pastor Ken, this means that your friends were born to be there for you when you find yourself in a place of trouble. If we think we’re going to prosper in life, it’s likely we’ll need friends. They may not be lifelong friends that we’ll intimately share our days with forever. But the friends that God provides for your times of adversity could as easily be friends from childhood who’ve stuck around a long time, or friends you’ve just met.

Insisting on doing things without accepting help, may prove to take us a lot longer, if we accomplish them at all.

Ecclesiastes 4:10 says, “For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.” (KJV)

“At the place of challenge, sometimes there’s a fall.” – Pastor Ken

When we’re challenged and we fall, sometimes bouncing back isn’t about proving anything to the challenger, but more for proving to ourselves what we’re made of.

But, whether we’ve “fallen away from God” or we just find ourselves in a tough spot, God designed us to be like rubber balls, not hacky-sacks. We’re supposed to bounce back. And we aren’t underinflated, so we won’t just sit there when we fall, we’re still filled with the breath of Life.

Realize this, we’re just as anointed while we’re sitting in that dark place as we were when we felt like we were pleasing God. His gifts and calling are without repentance, meaning He doesn’t take them from us. (Romans 11:29)

“The best place to be when you’re in the worst place is here, in the presence of God; here, in the body of Christ, with your brothers and sisters; the ones born for your adversity.” – Pastor Ken

Those weren’t his EXACT words, but as I tried to keep up with him, that’s what it sounded like to me.

So, think “comeback thoughts”. Let God light your way and look for the friends He’s already laid in your path.

There’s no depth that any of us have dropped to that Jesus can’t reach us.

(photo from ebay.com)