October 30

But they, like Adam, have transgressed the covenant; there they were unfaithful to Me. — Hos 6:7 BSB

What a terrible mistake it is to deny that we can backslide! It shows such ignorance of our own hearts and reveals a distorted view of truth, playing lightly with sin and God’s displeasure. Anyone who truly knows their heart and its tendency toward idolatry cannot deny that they are constantly backsliding—in thought, word, or deed. Can we honestly say that we haven’t strayed from our first love? That we haven’t drifted from sincerity and reverence, from a sense of godly fear, from a focus on spiritual things, and from the intimate expressions of love poured out to the Lord? Even if we haven’t openly fallen into sin, if the Lord has kept us from being trapped in the depths of it, haven’t we still done what God accuses His people of in Jeremiah 2:13? “They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug their own broken cisterns that can’t hold water.”

And what do we gain from backsliding? Do we find peace, joy, or comfort? Do we sense God’s pleasure, or the Spirit’s assurance within us? No. If your conscience speaks, it will tell you that every step away from the Lord has brought trouble and grief. Instead of justifying yourself, you may have been ready to weep bitterly for having strayed so far from God. It’s a mercy that God hasn’t allowed our hearts to harden or our consciences to be seared, that He hasn’t let us say, like Israel did, “I am innocent; I haven’t sinned” (Jeremiah 2:35). Instead, He has led us with tears and prayers.

Haven’t some of us, maybe most of us, been driven to “go and weep,” telling the Lord of our backsliding—how we’ve strayed from His fear and sinned against Him? How we’ve resisted His yoke and rebelled against His ways? Haven’t we confessed that we’ve been disobedient, stubborn, filthy, and vile? And yet, hasn’t He graciously turned our hearts back toward Zion, away from false teachers, away from our own wisdom and strength? Hasn’t He given us a measure of simplicity, honesty, and integrity, allowing us to look to Him for grace and blessing?

The Lord says in Micah 6:13, “I will make you sick by striking you,” referring to the sickness that comes from a wound. And haven’t these wounds in our conscience made us sick of the world, sick of hypocrisy, sick of superficial religion, sick of our own backslidings, and sick of everything except the Word of God and the blood of the Redeemer? Have they not made us long for the Holy Spirit’s teaching, the company of God’s people, and the true peace that only comes from Christ?

Can you say that you’ve turned away from everything but Christ, and Him crucified? Have you rejected teachings that don’t center on the Lamb’s sacrifice? Have you turned away from shallow charity and general goodwill that lack the depth of true godliness? Have your spiritual affections been drawn toward God and His people? And do you feel, like Ruth, “Your people will be my people, and your God my God”? Has there been a sweet response in your heart to the Lord’s call, “My son, give me your heart”? Have you thrown yourself at the foot of the cross, pleading with the Lord of life and glory to speak peace to your soul?