What if Repentance was the Norm?

What if the Israelites had cried out to the Lord in repentance? What if they had returned to Yahweh in sackcloth and ashes? What if they had turned from their wicked ways? 

If their repentance began with kings and priests, then the people might have followed that pattern. That would have changed the entire trajectory of the land. The Lord would have been pleased with their behavior. The response of their leaders might have been accepted as the repentance of the nation. 

But they didn’t. They somehow believed the narrative that God would ignore their wickedness. They somehow managed to compartmentalize their faith and life. As their Father, He desired nothing more from his children than to return to him in love and obedience. 

“If you return, O Israel, declares the Lord, to me you should return…” (Jer 4:1) But where else can they return but to the one who created them and appointed them for a higher purpose? That purpose was for them to be a light to the nations. (Jer 49:6) 

If they had pursued their calling to be a light to the nations, their future might have been different. Instead of focusing on themselves, they would have been focused on God and his plans for them and the rest of the world.

Identify your purpose and calling in life. Then stick to it.