“For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.”
- Isaiah 30:15 (KJV)
“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.”
- Nelson Mandela, South African Statesman
Christianity as a way of life is a walk with God. It’s a long journey of ever increasing conformity to the image of Christ. And every day in this spiritual marathon, we are directed to fix our gaze on Jesus in order to keep in step with God.
Jacob was one of the great Patriarchs of the Old Testament and his life as a study in this context can never fail to inspire insight. Remember, the Bible strongly advises God’s people “not to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”1 A time came when Jacob had a very profound encounter with God at Bethel. Being a defining moment, he vowed to treasure the experience all his life, which also prompted God to promise never to give up on him.2 Figuratively, Bethel is a type of your salvation experience, your first love for God, your covenant encounters with God, your discovered purpose and divine assignment, etc.
Because life presents some unavoidable distractions which could inflict deviation, it has been part of God’s benevolence to always point a way of return and restoration to our initial devotion to Him. As once remarked by a much respected American football Coach, “When a football team is failing, an experience Coach takes them back to the basics.” It’s the same idea God had in mind when he says in Isaiah 30:15, “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength.” Also God said to a body of believers in scripture; “remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works.”3
The message in this short piece is clear; Return! God told Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, who appeared unto thee…”4 Thus, back to bethel could mean revisiting those things that matter to your life and your walk with God. This is because, no matter how far one has gone on a wrong path, the way-out still remains humility and repentance. Interestingly, Aviation has a zone called the point of no return once an aircraft is considerably deep in flight and turning back is physically impossible or prohibitively expensive and dangerous. But with God, this does not necessarily exist. It is never too late to return and do the right thing. The biblical prodigal son’s destiny was on the brink of extinction. Yet in returning to the Father, he had a brand new beginning.5 There is hope for you too!
The truth is, every sincere step you take towards God, He takes several of such steps back towards you. “Come close to God, and He will come close to you” says the Bible.6 Bro Paul said it best when he said, “let us come boldly to the very throne of God and stay there to receive his mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need.”7 So, let’s take a full advantage of this.
In the words of Nelson Mandela, that South African statesman; “There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.” The Bible records the following concerning Abraham: “And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord”8
It’s time to go back to the drawing board. Shalom!
Thank you.
James Adekoje
For The Bible Motivator
1 Heb 6.12 (NIV) 2 Gen 28.16-22 3 Rev 2.3-4 4 Gen 35.1 5 Luke 15.17-20 6 James 4.8 7 Heb 4.16 (TLB) 8 Gen 13:3-4.
