How to Return to God When Life Has Pulled Us Away

Being in a relationship with God is key to the Christian life. Without relationship, we are not capable of living the fullness of life as a believer. And just as it is in any relationship, we must communicate and we must KNOW them.

Today I welcome Sarah Frazer to Searching for Moments. She’s a fellow adoptive Mama and follower of Jesus. I was immediately drawn to her long ago because of our common story of adoption. However, quickly thereafter, I fell in love with the simple, yet powerful Bible Studies, workbooks, and plans she creates. They are for the busy Mom or woman who knows getting back to Jesus is at the heart of our hope.

Make sure you read to the end of this post to see Sarah’s latest plan because if you’ve gotten lost and finding God again is something you need to do, this will help.

Finding God Along the Way

Pulling up to the park it seemed so much smaller.  On the right stood the old wine cellars, hence the name of the park: Wine Cellar Park. To the left stood a brand-new playground area. The woods in front of the car stood tall and lush in the summer air. When we got out of the car, the kids rushed to the slides and swinging bridge. I walked down to sit at the picnic table, happy and a little nostalgic to bring my children to the same place my mom brought me and my siblings to play.

Let’s go for a hike!

They rushed ahead, toward the old wine cellars. Across a field and beside a path, the peered inside the dark tomb-like stone buildings. Standing on the outside, they didn’t venture too far. The smell of childhood and play reached my nose. We turned to take the path into the woods. An old path, worn and dusty from the years of feet and bikes. The twists and turns looked familiar. I crossed the wooden bridge where my mom would pretend to be a troll under the bridge and come out to scare us one by one. The creek ran with cool water, but we continued on.

Along the Path

At the end of the path was a pond. Some fisherman stood with their poles. I let them play and run in the open field and by the edge of the muddy water. The trip to this old park from my childhood reminded me of a line in an Andrew Peterson song, You’ll Find Your Way, written for his son.

So keep to the old roads

Keep to the old roads

And you’ll find your way

Go back, go back to the ancient paths

Lash your heart to the ancient mast

And hold on, boy, whatever you do

To the hope that’s taken hold of you

And you’ll find your way

You’ll find your way

If love is what you’re looking for

The old roads lead to an open door

And you’ll find your way

You’ll find your way

Back home

What are the old roads? The way we’ve been taught. The old path is one set in place at the beginning. Although ancient and old, the Bible is still God’s plan for all of us.

The Old Path

The old way is the path we might not want to return to because we’ve been gone too long. We’ve not stepped foot in church, or opened our Bible, or even dared to whisper a prayer.

Maybe we’ve been mad. Or hurt. Or angry at the old ways, forgetting it is full of love.

“Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God, as his father David had done.” 2 Kings 16:2

Ahaz failed to follow the path of his great-great-great-grandfather David. Instead, he asked for help from everyone but God. He shamed and robbed God’s house, trying to worship in new ways. He led the people away from God.

Even though he didn’t obey God, Ahaz’s son did. Do you know that Ahaz fathered one of the last faithful kings in Judah, before the Israelites were exiled? Hezekiah chose to return to the old paths. He believed in the God of Abraham Isaac, and Jacob. Maybe these patriarchs were considered myths or “outdated” during Hezekiah’s time.

In choosing the old path, we don’t find “reward” as much as we find the God. An open door is always waiting to the Father. Like the prodigal son in the Gospel of Luke, God waits by the path to welcome us when we return #hope #BibleStudy @@sarah_e_frazer1 Share on X.

Finding a New Path

Return today. It may mean you say a prayer of repentance. Or maybe you can open your Bible again. Stepping back into church is scary and hard. Just go one Sunday.

The roads we travel bring us to the present. A million little choices – and God is in charge, in the steps, and in the mess.

What road are you traveling?

Do you need a companion? I’m here for you! If you are struggling with staying consistent, or need some encouragement on how to study the Bible. Begin with God’s Word. It is there we find the old paths. It is there we find the God who always waits for us. I’ve created a brand new workbook. In it you will find four different ways to study scripture. No matter if you’ve just picked up your Bible after 15 years or you are a 15 year veteran, you will find 4 easy methods to use today. And for those of you who don’t know where to start reading, I’ve included some great reading plans to get you going. Check it out here.

I’m Sarah, a wife for a little over a decade and momma of (soon to be) 5 little ones! Our youngest two are adopted from China. Finding time to drink my coffee and pray is something I would love to be able to do everyday, but I am easily distracted by phones, computers, and social media. I have found a rhythm to my Bible study and would love to share with you how you can find God through deep-rooted Bible study. My blog is a library of resources to use for Bible journaling, prayer, and Bible study! I believe any woman, in any season can find FOCUS to help with Bible study!

Take the Time to Know God

Taking time to know God is the number one way we can access all that is available to us through Him. Hope, love, identity, courage, strength, faith, comfort, and joy are just a touch of what He lovingly gives us when we surrender our hearts to Him and join in a relationship with Him.

It’s that relationship part that we miss. We say we are willing to give our hearts to Him. To believe in Him. But a relationship? That takes work. Finding God takes communication and it takes knowing the one we profess to be in relationship with! Communication is the prayer part of a relationship with God. And knowing the Word of God gives us the ability to know Him!

That’s why I loved Valerie Murray’s post of Cord of 6 titled How to Know the Wisdom of God When Life is Hard. Friends, how can we know His wisdom or His will if we don’t know HIM?  Valerie makes some other really good suggestions in this post so you don’t want to miss it! I promise! And don’t forget to give her some comment and/or share love! ♥

If more hope is something you could use, how about library of resources to fill your life with inspiration? Sign up below and get complete access to all the resources found in the Library of Hope ♥