“Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return? Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.” (Jeremiah 8:4,5)
Like the father in the story of the prodigal son, God waits for the return of those who have gone astray from Him. In the throes of our own strong desires or emotional turmoil, it is possible to set off on a rebellious path. God and His commandments are one. When we depart from the clear command of God, we depart from God. Returning to God requires us to repent of our departure from His Word.
The initial hardening of one’s heart is bad; the continuing hardness is worse. What is more marvelous than a person’s disobedience is their continued justification of that disobedience. Although they can claim to be “back with the Lord,” there is no return to Him without deep and genuine repentance in the very place of departure from His word.
Where are the words that signal repentance? Where is the confession that shows our return to the Lord? “O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.” (Hosea 14:1,2)
When the prodigal came to his senses he took with him words, saying: “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee” (Lk. 15:18). God waits for such words from every person who has turned to their own way in a moment of rebellion. “I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.” (Jeremiah 8:6).
The Good Shepherd always longs for restoration. “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Ps. 23:3). But such restoration depends on our repentance, and return to any path of righteousness we departed from. He is not listening for how spiritual we can sound on many things; He is listening for those words that indicate we have repented of the one sin that is marked in His sight. He wants us to once again cherish the sound of His voice.