One thing that I have discovered about God is that He is amazingly patient. I have found so many times in Scripture that God allows people to repent, to turn back to Him, to return again. One of these is found in 1 Kings…

In 1 Kings 18, there is a classic story of Elijah building an altar to God in the midst of hundreds of prophets from false gods. He soaks the altar and the sacrifice with water and then calls on the name of God. God rains down fire from heaven and burns up everything: sacrifice, altar, rocks, water and the soil. Wow! God kicks some tail!

But that is not the most powerful part of the story to me. In verse 37, just before God sends the fire, Elijah prays to God and he says, “Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” The reason Elijah is asking for God to respond is so that the people can know that God is turning their hearts back again. After all the rebellion and outright disobedience to God and His Word, God wants to let the people of Israel know that He wants to take them back, again.

This is not an isolated incidence. God stills feels like this about us. 2 Peter 3:9 – “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” God wants to turn our hearts back to him. God wants you today, no matter where you have been or what you have done. He is turning your heart back to Him, again.