This final chapter of the book ends on a cliffhanger.
“The joy of our hearts has ceased; our dancing has been turned to mourning. The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned! But you, O Lord, reign forever; your throne endures to all generations. Why do you forget us forever, why do you forsake us for so many days? Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old – unless you have utterly rejected us, and you remain exceedingly angry with us.” (v15-16, 19-22)
In what is possibly the darkest time for God’s people, they are in exile for 70 years as punishment for their generations of sin. They now make a (paraphrased) plea unto God: ‘please restore us O Lord, unless we’re too far beyond Your mercy…’.
Have we ever felt that God has given up on us? Why would we feel that way? Because circumstances are terrible, perhaps we’ve been misled, or maybe we feel our sin is unforgivable? The Bible is clear that God does not give up on His people, and His track record confirms that fact (how many times has He redeemed His people despite their great sinfulness?).
I remind us (myself included) that God never leaves or forsakes us. Any time we feel God is distant, if we confess our sin and return to Him (because it was us who left Him, not the other way around), He will embrace us, and welcome us (back) into His loving arms like the prodigal Father He is. Jesus’ sacrifice made restored relationships with the Father possible, setting us free from the bonds and penalty of sin (see John 8:31-36); all we need to do is confess our sin, accept Jesus as our Savior and King, and throw ourselves at His feet; He will compassionately embrace us like the lost sheep / child we are, whether we’re turning to Him for the first or ten-thousandth time.
Father God, our Compassionate and Ever-Present Lord, we confess our sin and rebellion has led us away from You. Father, please forgive us through the blood of Jesus shed on the cross, and have mercy on we who have sinned. Please teach us to return to You quickly when we sin, not remaining distant for long periods of time. May we consistently draw near to You and model this behavior for others as well. We long to praise, honor and obey You with every breath. Amen.
~ Conqueror in Training