Embarking on adulthood, you probably waved goodbye to a loved one. A twinge of homesickness may strike even now. But consider if that parent or brother or friend you physically left were to ignore you, not answer when you call, not respond when you text. What would you feel?
God, the friend who cares for you more than you could ever comprehend, who proved his love by sending his Son to die for you, who never leaves you but goes with you up to the heights and into the depths—imagine what he feels when you choose your own independent way, when you ignore him, disregard his communication to you, and forget to talk to him. Exodus 34:14 reads, “For you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” Psalm 95 reminds of the hardness of the Israelites, and the writer of Hebrews quotes that Psalm in Hebrews 3:10: “Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’”
Yes, God cares when we turn our backs on him. Beginning in verse 17, Ephesians 4 encourages us to be faithful to God, to do away with sinful practices and adopt godly perspectives. Verse 30 then reads, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.”
Moses depicts the straying of Israel in Deuteronomy 4, but in verse 29 he writes, “But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.” God is never the one who has strayed. We will always find him waiting with open arms when we return to him, when we desire him with all our heart and soul. How wonderful that we can never be grieved by his unfaithfulness! “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”(Romans 8:38-39). He is ever faithful, whether we deserve it or not.
Praise God for his faithfulness. Find your way back when you feel far from him, for it isn’t he who has strayed. “Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love”(Joel 2:13).