Turn! Turn! Turn!

READ:  2 Chronicles 7:14

Max Lucado is perhaps the most widely-read Christian author today; in his book "Turn", he writes:

God simply asks us to turn.  He asks us... to turn from self-promotion to God-promotion ('called by my name'); to turn from self-reliance to God-dependence ('humble themselves and pray'); to turn from self-direction to God-direction ('seek my face'); to turn from self-service to repentance ('turn from their wicked ways').  When will God heal the land?  When people turn back to Him!

Turn.  In other words, change direction.  Turn from self to God.  Turn from "it's all about me" to "it's all about you, Jesus".  Turn. 

In 1959, Pete Seeger wrote a song called "Turn!  Turn!  Turn!", which was covered by a group called The Byrds in 1965.  The words come from the Bible, from the book of Ecclesiastes.  The song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, an amazing feat for a song that, as Wikepedia claims, "easily holds the record for the number 1 hit with the oldest lyrics".  But I digress... the lyrics include words such as:

"To everything, turn, turn turn, there is a season, turn, turn, turn, and a time for every purpose under heaven"

Turn.  Turn.  Turn.  God's very purpose for us under heaven is to turn to Him, to know Him, to love Him, to do His work, His will.  Turn. 

The writer of 2 Chronicles reminds us that we need to turn.  His words - God's words to the people of his day, and to us today - speak of turning back to Him... but there's an IF...  aarrgghh!  Those IF's...  Listen again to what God says:

IF my people, who are called by my name, will HUMBLE THEMSELVES, and PRAY, and SEEK MY FACE, and TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

IF we recognize God as being supreme and act like we know it - IF we talk to God - IF we look for Him - and IF we stop doing what we shouldn't be doing - then God will forgive us and heal us.  And the "IF's"?  Those are the places where we TURN... TURN from being us-centred, TURN towards God through speaking to Him and looking for Him, and TURN away from doing wrong.  In other words, a U-TURN.  Not a GOD-TURN, but a YOU-TURN!  God says IF His people do this, He will honour that.  God will heal us, God will forgive, us, God will work in us and through us... IF we TURN.

• Which direction are YOU going?
• How are you doing with that direction decision?
• Are you willing to TURN, to give God a chance?

If we do what we are supposed to do, God will do what He has promised He will do - oh, how can we not want to live in that experience?  Turn, Turn, Turn... you'll be forever glad you did!

PRAYER
God, I need your help - I know I need to TURN my life around, and I can't do it myself.  Help me, Lord, please help me.  I want to be the person you want me to be, and do the things you want me to do.  
Amen.