Return and Remember

 

 Return and Remember

“I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God because they will return to me with all their heart.” Jeremiah 24:7

Jeremiah was a prophet God sent out on mission. All along God wanted a relationship with his people and they chose false identities and false gods putting that above what he desired. Our heart has always been the way that God captures us and what I give my heart over will determine if I depend on myself or depending on God alone. 

As I took a break from writing and sharing as God prepared my heart for camp I began to recognize how much I was relying on my understanding. Knowing that He had taken me though camp before still left me questioning how He would do it again. I noticed as I took a break it started to become more apparent something else was getting me off course. Even as I knew God was asking me to rest with writing and sharing I hadn’t broken away from the underlying issue that was continuing to stir restlessness within my mind. I then began to recognize Social Media had become a trap once again for me and this rest was the perfect opportunity to break away from all of it. No sharing devotionals meant no need to go on Social Media. "But how Lord?" How do I do this knowing I will not know what is going on with my friends? At first it was a feeling of freedom not needing to see what everyone was doing but soon after I realized how connected I felt just scrolling a few minutes a day. A week in I started to detect something different that was occurring in my thoughts. I wasn't taking on this false identity that I thought I needed to. I wasn't looking in on everyone else's life and comparing myself. I wasn't listening to those other voices that were telling me I wasn't good enough or that what God had asked me to do couldn’t be accomplished. He was asking for my full heart and my full devotion. Clearing away those distractions and going into camp showed me that I didn't need to be concerned about what I couldn’t do but that I could again trust that I could depend on Him alone. I began to slow down enough to stop listening to all the other voices that were grabbing at my heart to forget but God had to get me to slow down before I could recognize the distractions. 

Jeremiah was surrounded by distractions yet he knew God chose him to speak in ways to people to return and remember to worship God alone. Slowing down has reminded me in a way of creating that barrier between the voices that can pull against my heart and cause me to forget. So moving forward that is my prayer, “Father, show me what it looks like to move forward in this understanding of what you have shown me.”

So what if you asked God to reveal what that distraction is for you? He wants to plant His truth in my heart but it is up to me to return and remember. A daily invitation to invite the Holy Spirit to show me what is causing my heart to forget. 

Father,

Continue to show me those things that prevent me from giving you my whole heart. Forgive me when I put those same things before you. I return and remember you are the only one I belong to. Move me towards you more each day to remember that heart posture or surrender of giving that back over to you Jesus. 

Amen