Is It Too Late to Come Back to God After All These Years?
I'll never forget the first time I tried to run away from home. I was seven years old, and I do not even remember why I wanted to leave. What I do remember is packing my backpack with my favorite snacks and shirts, then walking down the sidewalk away from my house.
Then my dad called my name, and in a kind voice he asked, "Josh, do you want to play catch one last time before you leave us?" I loved playing catch with my dad, so I agreed. After a handful of throws, I began to cry. My dad threw off his baseball mitt, ran across the lawn, and gave me a big bear hug. He told me he loved me, and I told him I did not want to run away anymore.
What changed my mind? Experiencing my father's love.
Maybe you did not run from God all at once. Maybe you slowly drifted. You used to pray and go to church, but then life got busy, or you walked away on purpose. Now years have gone by, and you wonder if it is too late to come back.
If you have been running from God or slowly drifting from Him, I can tell you this. It is not too late. There is no place you could fall that is outside of His reach. Peter is proof of that, and I preached on his story here.
Jesus came looking for people who are lost
When Jesus passed through Jericho, a chief tax collector named Zacchaeus wanted to see Him. Zacchaeus loved money so much that he cheated people to get more of it. He was short, so he climbed a tree to see over the crowd. Out of that whole crowd, Jesus looked up, called him by name, and invited Himself over to his house.
In Jesus' day, sharing a meal in someone's home was a way of saying you accepted them and wanted a relationship with them. The people started to mutter about it, but Jesus cared more about Zacchaeus than about His own reputation. He said this is exactly why He came: "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10, NIV).
Notice the order. Jesus came to Zacchaeus before Zacchaeus changed a thing. You do not have to earn your way back before God comes looking for you.
Jesus told a story like this in Luke 15. A shepherd with a hundred sheep loses one, and Jesus asks, "Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?" (Luke 15:4, NIV). God is a running God. He does not stand still when you run away. Rather, He runs after you, just as any father would run after a lost child he loves.
And when the shepherd finds that sheep, "he joyfully puts it on his shoulders" (Luke 15:5, NIV). God not only gives you joy when you are with Him, but He gets joy out of being with you. He is still looking for you, and His invitation to you is still open.
God's kindness is what leads you home
It was my dad's love that changed my mind that day, and God works the same way. The Bible says:
"Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?" (Romans 2:4, NIV)
Repentance is a word that makes many people picture a screaming preacher on a street corner. However, repentance is not a negative word in the Bible but a positive one. To repent simply means to change your mind. You once thought one way about God and your life, and now you think the right way.
Notice that it is God's kindness that leads you there, and the verse talks about the riches of His kindness. Meaning, God is never sold out when it comes to the supply of His love for you.
His kindness is seen most clearly on the cross, where Jesus was killed for our sins so that we would not have to be. His arms are always open wide toward you. That is what makes it safe to come back home, even after you packed your bags with a plan to leave and never return.
Jesus restored Peter after his worst failure
Peter was one of Jesus' closest friends. The night before the cross, Jesus told His disciples they would all fall away. Peter said, "Even if all fall away, I will not" (Mark 14:29, NIV). That same night, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. When the rooster crowed, he remembered what Jesus had told him, and he broke down in tears.
Now look at what Jesus had said just before that: "But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee" (Mark 14:28, NIV). Galilee is where it all started, where Jesus first called Peter to follow Him. Jesus knew Peter would fall, and He still planned to meet him there.
After Jesus rose, He met Peter by the Sea of Galilee. Peter had denied Him three times, so three times Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him.
Jesus was not ignoring the wreckage, but like a good surgeon, He put His hand right on the wound so it could heal. Then He gave Peter the same call He gave him at the beginning, telling him to feed His sheep and to follow Him.
The same man who denied Christ three times became the leader of leaders in the early church. There is restoration after the wreckage!
If you are in the family of God, you are in the family of God forever. God promises to never let go of you, even when you feel like letting go of Him. He does not start working on you and then give up halfway, because "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6, NIV).
What about the unforgivable sin?
Some people stay away from God because they are afraid they have committed the unforgivable sin. If that is you, start with the promise Jesus gave: "people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter" (Mark 3:28, NIV).
Right after that promise, Jesus warned about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and it helps to look at why He said it. Religious leaders had watched Jesus drive out demons, and they were saying, "He has an impure spirit" (Mark 3:30, NIV). They saw God at work right in front of them and called it evil. I believe the unforgivable sin is the demonization of Jesus that comes from a hardened heart.
That is not the same as doubting Jesus or not believing in Him. The whole point of the gospel is that Jesus saves people who doubt Him and disbelieve in Him.
And if you have placed your faith in Jesus, you cannot commit it. When you trust Him, you are not just forgiven, but you are filled with the Holy Spirit. God "has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come" (2 Corinthians 5:5, NIV). Even if you have done something really bad, that is not the unforgivable sin. Jesus is the friend of sinners.
You can come back to God today
When Jesus was crucified, a criminal hung on a cross next to Him, and that man admitted he deserved his punishment. As he was dying, he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom" (Luke 23:42, NIV). Jesus answered, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43, NIV). It is never too late for anyone to come to Christ.
Your story may not be one big fall, but a slow drift away from your Heavenly Father. Either way, do not try to change on your own, because you cannot create change within yourself. Only God's love can. That is why coming home is about surrender over self-reliance.
God's hand is reaching out to you right now. Grab it by faith, and He will do all the heavy lifting.
Today, you can recommit your life to Jesus. If you are ready, you could pray something like this:
Here I am, Lord. I know You have reached out Your hand to me, and I want to grab it right now. I have drifted, but I am coming home. I want to experience Your grace, Your forgiveness, Your healing, and Your restoration. Amen.
Daily Practice: Read all of Luke 15. Afterwards, take some time to reflect on whatever truths stood out to you.