Turn Toward What Matters
Around 957 B.C., after King Solomon spent years planning, building, and, finally dedicating the temple that his father, King David, had longed for—God made Himself known by sending fire down from heaven and filling the temple with His presence.
Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night, explaining how He’d heard his prayer and chosen his temple—reminding Solomon how the Israelites should respond when they encounter hard things. He said:
“Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.”
2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT
Though this specific message was given to a specific people at a specific time in history—humbling ourselves, seeking God, and turning from our sins are timeless actions that we should continue to live out.
True humility, honest prayer, and genuine repentance are the keys to intimacy with God.
And we can’t fake it. We can’t just go through the motions. We can’t merely pretend to “look” humble and repentant … and we can’t do these things on our own.
We need to come to God in order to receive His help. We need Him in order to maintain a posture of humility, prayer, and repentance.
So if you’ve found yourself feeling distant from God, trying to do things your own way, or intentionally running in the opposite direction of your Creator—it’s not too late to turn around.
You can still come to God, admit that you can’t go through life alone, and seek His help. He’s a loving, forgiving, and healing Father who specializes in making all things new. He never stops inviting us to draw near to Him.
Finding Satisfaction for Your Soul
Imagine you’re one of the Israelites traveling through the wilderness with Moses. You’ve been wandering ever since God rescued you from slavery in Egypt. You’re thirsty, but water is nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, Moses raises his staff and strikes a rock—and water begins to flow from it. In that moment, you thank God for providing your greatest need.
Thousands of years later, the Jews in Jerusalem were celebrating God’s provision for them when they wandered in the wilderness. For seven days, they would fill a golden pitcher with water and pour it onto an altar to remember how God provided water for their ancestors. On the eighth day, no water was poured, but they would pray and reflect on God fulfilling His promises for His people. As they were praying in the temple, Jesus stood up and cried out:
Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.
John ...