Zechariah

From Garden to City: Zechariah

This is what the Lord Almighty says, "Return to me, and I will return to you." (Zechariah 1:3)
Sometimes, when I have wandered from seeking the Lord, I think, I need to get my life together.  And then God will hear my prayers.  I hesitate to enter into worship because I think I am inauthentic.  Who am I to pretend to love the Lord so much?

And yet, I have found that when I go to God and confess I'm lost, he meets me.  When I tell him I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention, he forgives me.  When I tell him I want to be in head-over-heels in love with him, and I worship him with everything I have, even if it's not much, he multiples my love and my worship.

I have yet to figure out a formula for experiencing God's presence and hearing his voice in a meaningful way.  Yes, there's an element of prayer, worship, and service.  But it's more than that.

God is the source of my relationship with him.  I see him when he reveals himself to me.  I understand his word when he gives me understanding.  I worship him when he puts praise on my lips.

Jeremiah 29:13 echoes my experience:  "You will seek me and you will find me when you seek me with all your heart."

So does Isaiah 30:18-20.  The prophet tells the people, "The Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion . . . As soon as he hears, he will answer you."

Even the Psalmist begs the Lord to find him.  He says, "I have strayed like a lost sheep.  Seek your servant for I have not forgotten you."  (Psalm 119:176)

When I've got nothing left, the Lord fills my heart.
And until he does, I walk in faith.  I worship him in obedience.  Knowing that I have returned to him, and he will return to me.  He loves me.  He is faithful.