Return to Me, and I will Return to You
Hi Friends,
I was praying about so many things that are changing. We have to be able to adapt to the changes that come with the seasons of life. But we remember that
“all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16
God knows the beginning from the end. There is nothing that takes him by surprise. He knows our thoughts and our ways.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
Today I am sharing a vision that came just a few days ago.
The U-Turn Sign
This vision was of a yellow and black U-Turn Sign. There was no scene attached to it, simply the sign itself. Every yellow and black road sign that is in a diamond shape or a triangular shape is usually a warning sign. It is there to give direction as to a change in the normal flow of traffic.
When I saw this sign, in the vision, my first response was “Oh, no! Is the Lord telling me to go back - to return to the church that I just left? I have missed the church and the people. The worship that was free and the prayer times were powerful. It was just a short walk from home. I had made many friends and memories. But I found that the teachings occasionally caused me to raise an eyebrow, for I did not see eye to eye on a few things. No church is perfect, and I was trying to accept the fact that we were going to disagree on some things. I had spoken to the pastor about these three things upon which we disagree. He was of the mind that it would be better if I left to find a church where there would be greater agreement in our beliefs. So in spite of my emotional feelings, and the friendships that I had made with so many people, and the strong presence of the Lord that I felt during worship, I agreed with him and felt that what he had said was best.
When I saw the U-Turn sign, I was immediately taken aback. Could this be true? Did God want me to return? It has been an emotional period in my life, since I had been praying with them for over four years at 4:00 a.m. on Wednesdays at the church. Later I joined the church as a member. I felt very heavy, and worried that after I have managed to find another church, now the Lord was asking me to return. So of course, I took it to prayer. And God is faithful. He showed me what the U-Turn sign really meant. Hallelujah!
I asked the Lord to show me what I needed to know regarding the vision. He brought me to 2 Kings, chapters 19 and 20. As I read these passages, I could not help but notice that there were several U-turns made by the characters in the text. These two chapters concern the time of Hezekiah, king of Judah and the prophet Isaiah. Sennacherib the king of Assyria, was attempting to take over Judah as it had done to many nations around them including the Northern Kingdom, Israel.
The Southern Kingdom of Judah was being challenged and taunted by their adversaries, the Assyrians. They mocked them for trusting in the Lord, saying that Israel’s God could not deliver them out of their hands. Hezekiah was distressed by the taunting, so he put on sackcloth, called upon the Lord, and sent word to Isaiah the prophet to seek the Lord on their behalf.
Upon hearing what Hezekiah’s messengers had to say, the prophet Isaiah responded.
“Say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’” 2 Kings 19:6-7
The king of Assyria sent another message to Hezekiah who again, prayed to the Lord asking for his intervention:
“O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.” 2 Kings 19:15-19
Isaiah hearing from God, sent word to Hezekiah to encourage him:
“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Your prayer to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard. This is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning him:
“...Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes to the heights? Against the Holy One of Israel! 2 Kings 19:20-22
“But I know your sitting down and your going out and coming in, and your raging against me. Because you have raged against me and your complacency has come into my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back on the way by which you came. 2 Kings 19:27-28
“By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord. For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.” 2 Kings 19:33-34
This is the first U-Turn. It was God who determined that Sennacherib and his army would be turned around and sent back to Assyria.
And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went home and lived at Nineveh. And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword and escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place. 2 Kings 19:35-37
We see the next U-Turn has to do with Hezekiah’s illness, in chapter 20 of 2 Kings.
In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.’” Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, “Now, O Lord, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord, and I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake.” And Isaiah said, “Bring a cake of figs. And let them take and lay it on the boil, that he may recover.” 2 Kings 20:1-7
Isaiah had spoken God’s word to Hezekiah telling him that he would die, and for him to get his affairs in order. Hezekiah made a turn to God, by “turning his face to the wall,” and seeking God’s mercy. This was not a U-turn, but a turn to God, nonetheless.
When God heard Hezekiah’s prayer, He had Isaiah do a U-turn. He went back to Hezekiah to speak a word of life, giving Hezekiah fifteen more years and a promise to deliver the nation from Assyrian aggression.
There were two more U-turns in these two chapters that the Lord had shown me:
And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord on the third day?” And Isaiah said, “This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he has promised: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?” And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to lengthen ten steps. Rather let the shadow go back ten steps.” And Isaiah the prophet called to the Lord, and he brought the shadow back ten steps, by which it had gone down on the steps of Ahaz. 2 Kings 20:8-11
So God made the sun do a U-turn to move back in time. God responds to our prayers when we humble ourselves before him. When we submit to his authority and we show respect by being obedient to his will, He moves mountains for us.
Unfortunately, Hezekiah was not entirely attuned to God’s heart, for he made a serious mistake, a prideful mistake. He did not learn from his previous encounters with the Assyrians, and their prideful boasts of what they could do and planned to do to Israel. Instead, his pride paved the way for Babylon to do what the Lord had prevented the Assyrians from doing. Because of Hezekiah’s pride in showing off the nation’s treasures, God would send the The Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem, with its surrounding lands, and to take its people captive. The very treasures that he took pride in and showed to the envoy of Babylon would be captured and removed. This was not a good move. It was another U-turn, but in the wrong direction.
At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick. And Hezekiah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.
Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say? And from where did they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come from a far country, from Babylon.” He said, “What have they seen in your house?” And Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.”
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”
Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?” 2 Kings 20:12-19
Pride was Hezekiah’s downfall. He acted as if he owned it all personally, showing off the nation’s great treasures. Both Israel as a nation and he as an individual, would have nothing, if it were not for God’s blessing.
In fact we own nothing, we are merely stewards of God’s provision.
The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, Psalm 24:1
The Lord had been merciful to Hezekiah, giving him fifteen more years of life, because he sought the Lord and asked him for mercy. But Hezekiah was both prideful and foolish for allowing his enemies to see the nation’s armory, and his gold and silver. In addition to this, we come to see that he was also self-centered and uncaring for the nation and its people, when he realized that the judgment that he deserved would not come upon him, but after he was gone.
“The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?” 2 Kings 20:19
Why did he not intercede for his sons and his nation once again? Did he not care enough for his own sons that were to be enslaved and made eunuchs? Are other people’s lives not important enough to pray, and to repent for his own prideful actions that have put them in jeopardy? Why did he choose to simply accept God’s judgment and not intercede and confess his sin before God?
Hezekiah was a man, with faults, pride and selfish desires. He is an example of the human race. But we must understand that he did not have the Holy Spirit as we do now as New Covenant believers. We have been given the Holy Spirit so that we are able to overcome our flesh with its passions and desires.
Thank you Jesus for the cross. Thank you for your Holy Spirit that leads us into all truth. Thank you for the conviction of the Holy Spirit, that when we sin, we can repent, and get right with God.
So we should reflect on these passages, and learn from the Lord’s words and his teachings in the Bible. The Old Testament is full of examples of what not to do. And of course we can learn from others’ mistakes. There are also awesome examples of the Lord’s faithfulness. Jesus is our primary example to follow. We should learn from him:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
But when we fail God and fall into sin through pride, and selfish or unwholesome desires, we need to repent. We need a sincere change of heart and of mind. So we turn to God, and to his Word which empowers us to overcome our weaknesses. The Holy Spirit leads us to repent, to change our minds and our hearts, so that we can please God and live at peace with each other.
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 2 Timothy 3:16
The vision of the U-Turn sign was given to us as a warning, a “heads up.” We need to look at our lives and ask ourselves, “are we going the right way? Are we truly following the Lord? Have we compromised our faith in anyway? Has any decision we have made been detrimental to our relationship with God? Perhaps now is a good time to make a U-Turn back to God.
Listen to the Lord’s strong warnings to two of the churches in the book of Revelation. The first is to the church of Sardis, and the second is to the church at Ephesus.
“I know your deeds; you have a reputation for being alive, yet you are dead. Wake up and strengthen what remains, which is about to die; for I have found your deeds incomplete in the sight of My God. Remember, then, what you have received and heard. Keep it and repent.” Revelation 3:1-3
“But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” Revelation 2:4-5
So let us take the warning that comes from God seriously. Let us carefully look at our decisions and choices. Have we compromised our devotion to God because of our career? Let’s evaluate our choices that we make with regards to our pastimes, our families, friends and acquaintances. What we read and what we watch, and how we entertain ourselves, all affect our walk with the Lord. If we do not take the time to evaluate our decisions and choices, we will not see how far we have drifted away from God. Let us pray and seek him today. Let us read and study the word of God. It is far better to learn from others’ experience than to make our own mistakes. In the word of God there are many examples of sin in all its forms. We see how sin operates in the characters of the Bible, and the serious consequences of that sin. But we also see the Lord’s teachings which are simple but so profound. If we submit to him and follow his ways, we will be blessed. If we, on the other hand, are full of pride and too busy to seek God for his guidance, we will be on a road that is going the wrong way.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Proverbs 14:12
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13-14
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
So let us stop and make the U-Turn. Let’s head in the right direction, for Jesus is the way to the Father, and the way to eternal life.
Thanks for reading. Please share this post with others. And God bless you!
