Seek the Lord while He may be found

Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your hearts, with fasting, with weeping, and with sorrow; tear your hearts and not your clothing,  

Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, very patient, full of faithful love, and ready to forgive. (Joel 2:12-13 CEB) 

In the midst of Judah’s desperate situation occasioned by locust, plague and drought, and with God’s judgement hanging over them because of their past actions, God utters the words: “yet even now”. They were offered hope, it was a moment of Grace.  The power of one little word changed everything. Through it, Joel reveals how long-suffering and patient our God is with us. 

We, like the people of Judah, at times find ourselves overwhelmed.  Life events are weighing us down and perhaps we are feeling ashamed for past or current actions. We feel that we are under judgement and maybe feel that there is no hope of things getting better. In these circumstances that word “yet” makes all the difference.  

“Yet” is the Lord’s refusal to accept the situation as it is, and God’s determination to forgive us and to welcome us back, no matter.what we have done. God’s constant loving “Grace” is God’s great “nevertheless.”

The good news of faith is that God’s “yet” in our lives is stronger, more powerful than anything we are facing or any decision we have made.  God’s love is always available to us , To receive it we need to repent.. No matter what we have done, repentance is always an option.  God’s grace is always at work in. When we turn and seek God, we find God is already there waiting for us, forgiving us, and loving us. We should not take this for granted but in humility receive daily the gift of Grace offered by God who is patient with us and loves us.

Prayer

Loving God, thank your for that powerful word, “Yet” which reminds us that no matter where we are in life, there is hope, forgiveness and new life.  Help us to seek your Grace by walking in your way.  Amen

This devotion was written by Bill Green and read by Susan Daves.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.