Directions for Giving Up on God

Over the past 10 years of ministry I have witnessed some fairly unbelievable things. I've seen God answer prayers in ways that seem impossible. Like the time we prayed for an approaching storm to bypass the church we were painting in Vermont and God parted the clouds like the Red Sea. I've seen widows, parents, and families in their deepest moments of grief and despair praising God for the life of the loved one that died. Like the time I walked into a room in the Emergency Department of a hospital with a family seconds after their loved one died. There are plenty of other things I've witnessed over that time, both good and bad, that causes one to reflect on different aspects of life. But the one thing that confounds me to this day, and probably will the rest of my life, is when someone gives up on God.

Now I'm not talking about people who are atheist or agnostics who have denied the existence of God. I'm talking about a person who has come to the realization they are a poor, wretched sinner in need of God's grace, who has accepted that grace, enjoyed that grace, and then turned their back on that grace. It can easily confound a person when you think about it too much. Don't hear me speaking from a platform of judgment and condemnation. I have had those moments in my own walk with Christ where I pushed Him just to the tips of my reach where I could pull Him back at a moments notice. Yes, I can fully relate to the words of Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing when it says "Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love." But the thing that I do not understand is the person who completely abandons God altogether.

The reason a person might give up on God varies from person to person. For some it may be that they were disillusioned with God because they were mislead into thinking God was a genie to grant their wishes. Maybe God didn't answer a prayer they pleaded with Him over. Or maybe it was something else. I think the reason many people give up on God is simply because they wander from His path and forget about Him. They wander so far from God that when they need Him or think about Him they are embarrassed to throw themselves at His feet again. And like the song by Casting Crowns says "It's a slow fade" further and further from God.

So the directions for someone seeking to give up on God are simple. Ignore Him, turn your back on Him, do not read His Word, do not pray, do not think about God, and do not allow the Holy Spirit to stir your heart. Not that anyone would probably follow those directions but there they are.

More importantly, what are the directions for getting back to God when you've wandered so far you can't see Him anymore. The answer is this, run. Run back to God and seek His forgiveness. Throw yourself at the feet of Christ and seek the grace you've experienced before. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart and lead you where you need to go. All you have to do is ask for His forgiveness. God even tells us in 1 John 1:9 that He will forgive us no matter what we've done. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (NIV). Whether it's a nearly inaudible whisper or an ear-splitting shout, all you have to do is ask. If that's you, why not take the first step back towards God today? You won't regret it.


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