God is forever reaching out in love, inviting us into an ever-deepening relationship with Him. His relentless pursuit of our hearts fills the pages of the Bible, and several of my songs are based on God’s impassioned calls in scripture to return to Him. Returns, as we know them, are usually preceded by departures and bring with them a variety of emotions. Regardless of our past or present circumstances or feelings toward God, His love for us remains constant, as does His longing for our response.
The fact that God desires a relationship with us, and the extreme price He has paid to make that possible, is mind-boggling in itself. But to consider receiving us back, even longing for our return, after we have willfully wandered away is truly beyond comprehension. The story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) gives us insight into the heart of our gracious heavenly Father: even before the wandering son returns, the father is preparing a welcome that is so clearly beyond anything deserved. A priest once told me his primary calling was to reiterate one simple message: “God is not mad at you!” Though we may wrestle with doubt or fear at the thought of returning to Him, our Father is waiting to embrace us. In “Redeeming Love,” the book/movie based on the Old Testament book of Hosea, we witness the same merciful heart of God, as Michael Hosea rescues Angel from her utterly self-destructive life; we also see her inner struggle to receive his unconditional love, followed by a complete transformation.
I grew up with a minimal awareness of God, further reinforced by the cultural belief that we can and need to do everything ourselves. Though I never intentionally walked away from Him, I felt no particular reason to seek His help and was completely unaware of His desire for a relationship with me. I associated God with specific places or traditions rather than a personal experience of knowing and being known. “To know,” in some languages, is expressed using two different verbs: one for knowing information and another for knowing experientially or relationally. While there is undoubtedly much information to be known about God, He invites us into a relationship, and we can easily miss the fullness of that experience if we mistake or exchange knowing about Him for actually knowing Him. The apostle Paul wrote, “I pray that you…may have power…to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:18-19). Another translation says, “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.” (verse 19).
The text of my most recent song, “Doubt No More,” taken from the hymn, “Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy,” is an invitation to bring our weakness and need to Jesus. He alone has the power to help us, and He desires to come to our aid: He is both able and willing. Yet, He waits for us to respond to His call. Like the prodigal son’s father, God’s heart is moved as we begin our return: “I will arise and go to Jesus, He will embrace me in His arms; in the arms of my dear Savior, O, there are ten thousand charms.”
Two songs from the album entitled “Return to Me” also speak powerful and unchanging truths about our place in the heart of God. “I Could Never Forget You” is a setting of several deeply comforting verses from Isaiah 49. Verses 15-16 say, “Even if there is a mother who forgets her child, I could never, no never, forget you…I have carved your name on the palms of My hands!” We are each extremely precious to God, and we have a Parent who will never forget or forsake us. Verses 17-18 also speak encouraging words about God’s power to reach the wanderers in our lives, assuring us that they will return as well. The song “Return to Me” weaves Jesus’ bold words, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6), together with a beautiful Old Testament promise, “Return to Me and I will return to you” (Zechariah 1:3). He assures us that He will be there to receive us, but again, He awaits our return from the places where we have tried in vain to satisfy our deep need for His love with lesser things. This song goes on to quote all of the “I AM” statements from the book of John, more reasons for us to make our way back to Him. The melodic references to the hymn, “Jesus Christ is Risen Today,” in the instrumental introduction and interlude, as well as the more obvious “Alleluia” at the end of the song, are intentional reminders of His Easter victory!
Finally, “I Will Rejoice in Doing Good,” from the album entitled “The Wonders You Have Done,” sets astounding words of God. I have treasured the message of Jeremiah 31:3 for many years: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness and love.” But consider also Jeremiah 32:41: “I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all My heart and soul.” This is only one verse from a staggering list of God’s promises, including forgiving our sins and making a new and everlasting covenant (to replace the one that was broken by us!), all of which are initiated and carried out by Him (“I will…”). And notice His motivation: “…so that they will never turn away from Me.” It overwhelms me that the all-powerful God of the universe, eternally complete in Himself, is so resolutely committed to establishing a deep relationship with us that He unceasingly pours out His love to draw us back into His presence. Yet sometimes, like the prodigal son, we have to exhaust all other resources before coming to our senses and returning to the relationship we either ran away from or simply missed. Romans 2:4 says, “Do you realize that all the wealth of His extravagant kindness is meant to melt your heart and lead you into repentance?”
I invite you to listen to these four songs as you ponder God’s abundant and everlasting love. What greater message is there than the fact that God has invited us into an eternal relationship with Him and that His arms are always open! Whether you’re considering God’s invitation for the first time or returning to Him after a long season of wandering, receive His embrace and find everything you have been longing and searching for: rest, healing, and wholeness for your soul.
("Doubt No More!" can be found on the album, "Doubt No More!"
"Return to Me" and "I Could Never Forget You" can be found on the album, "Return to Me"
"I Will Rejoice in Doing Good" can be found on the album, "The Wonders You Have Done")
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