Ep.1389: How Do I Reconnect With God?
Following Peter’s example of coming back to God after straying
CHAPTERS
Theme Scripture: 1 Peter 1:13
Many Christians have had the disheartening experience of feeling like they have lost their connection with God. There you were, going along through life’s experiences, and something happens. Whether it is one big change or many little things over time, you wake up one day and realize God seems far away. Now what? Is it over? How do you find your way back to that precious connection that you lost? A good way to understand what to do to reconnect is to observe some of the experiences of the Apostle Peter. We all know how he denied Jesus on the day of his crucifixion. What we don’t often think about is how he got to that point and what it took to draw him back into God’s favor.
- The third and final time Jesus called Peter to follow him Peter openly and fearfully admitted that he was a sinful man. Jesus called him anyway.
- Peter’s journey following Jesus would show him just how little he knew about his own faults and how little he knew about what discipleship required.
The night before Jesus’ crucifixion...
Peter confidently claimed he would never forsake Jesus. In spite of that bold proclamation of loyalty, Peter would deny Jesus three times early the very next morning. His denials escalated from simple avoidance to emphatic rejection.
If we have ever alienated ourselves from God
...we have likely gone down a similar road to Peter’s. The good news is we can now learn how to bring ourselves back to God by following the pattern that Peter himself followed. So, what happened? How was Peter’s alienation slowly dissolved and he was able to reconnect?
Peter’s experience shows us there are three key steps to reconnecting with God:
- Prepare Your Mind for Action: Peter running to the empty tomb on the morning of Jesus’ resurrection was taking the first step. Even though he still didn’t understand what was happening, he showed that he wanted to. This was crucial.
- Be Serious and Reverent: Peter likely wrestled with self-doubt, but God’s grace persisted. Jesus would reaffirm Peter’s efforts through two miraculous personal appearances to him and others on that resurrection day.
- Embrace Forgiveness & Change: Weeks later, Jesus restored Peter by asking if he loved him. This restoration would come with the profound responsibility of being a shepherd to Jesus’ flock after his ascension up to heaven.
For each of us, to spiritually reconnect requires small, intentional steps which include prayer, scripture study and humility. The beautiful message here is that God's faithfulness ensures that even in failure, restoration is possible!
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