God Can't Resist Us!

As I'm reading through the Old Testament, there is a recurring theme. First, the people of God experience a miracle or some sort of deliverance from trouble by God. Next, and sometimes it seems in the same breath, they're back to sinning and rebelling against God. Repent. Bless. Sin. Repent. Bless. Sin. I know if I was God I wouldn't be so forgiving. I'd already be done with those backsliders before the end of Genesis! But, I'm not God and that's a good thing!

As I meditated on this pattern I came to a recurring thought. It's the thought that God can't resist us. Time and time again God takes His people back. He faithfully answers when they cry out to Him and shows love and mercy. God is all knowing so, He is already aware that their repentance would be short lived, so why even bother? It's because God can't resist us.

When I say God can't resist us I don't mean that in a way that is equivalent to temptation. We are not to God the fruit on the tree in the garden and He just can't help Himself. God can't resist us in a way that He can't turn off His love for us.

When my kids frustrate me with their choices, continue in habits that I've been trying to break, and are all out defiant, it sometimes angers me. I have to discipline them. Sometimes that discipline will even involve a time of them being removed from my presence, like a time out or go to your room moment. Despite my need to discipline and even physically remove them, what never gets removed is my love for them. The presence of anger doesn't mean the absence of love. God does express anger. He gets angry at sin because sin separates. Sin removes us from His presence. However, sin does not shut off His love. Romans 8 makes this very clear that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Psalm 30:5 says "For his anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning." The expression or presence of God's anger is really a blip in the span of eternity. He spends more time trying to love us than being upset with us. God's anger is also righteous anger which makes a difference. It's not the anger that people go to anger management for. It's not uncontrolled rage. God's anger again is towards sin. It's saying I don't like your sin and I don't have to be okay with it and I don't have to excuse it and I can't fully be around it. However, if you repent, I will forgive it and it'll be like it never happened.

Additionally, God not being able to resist loving us is fully expressed in John 3:16 " For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." For God was so in love with us He sacrificed perfection for imperfection. Jesus was perfection, flawless and sinless. It was the only way He could truly be able to be the atonement for us. Yet, God said I'm willing to let You die to get all of "them" back whether or not they will chose to come. That is love like no human would really ever be able to match. So there is no reason to ever feel like God doesn't value us or truly love us. He's already expressed His love through Jesus' sacrifice, but He still continues to find ways to lavish it on us daily.

God also can't resist us because He can't resist a repentant heart. Psalm 51:17 says "The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God." God constantly accepted the apologies of the Israelites because He is a true Father. A true father never half heartedly accepts an apology. A true father never judges your sincerity while you repent. A true father doesn't embrace with one hand and push us away with the other. God is the ultimate example of father and a father's heart and He can't turn that off because it's who He fully is. They are one in the same. They can't be separated. In the same affect that you are always a mom or dad once you've had a child.The title applies whether or not your child is still living, physically present, or even looking at the status of your relationship. Once you become a parent, you are always a parent. God is the same. Once He created us He became not only our creator, but our Father. Isaiah 64:8 says "But now, O LORD, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand." He has no intention of stepping away from His role. God can't resist being our Father.

Now we need to examine how we are to God. Can we resist Him? Do we try to resist Him? When I think back to times I have consciously resisted God, it was usually attached to sin. Just like Adam and Eve hid themselves from God after they sinned, we still generations later repeat the same pattern. We get scared and feel ashamed, and expect God to put a magnifying glass on us, burning us like helpless little ants. This is all because the fall of man distorted our view of God. Before the fall, Adam and Eve lived in communion with God. When God came after they sinned it says He came walking in the garden looking for them (Genesis 3:8). Not running, thundering or charging, but walking. This speaks of an intimate relationship. We walk in ease with one another. I come looking for you because I miss you. Let's be together. Sadly, it is now a fight with our flesh to change our God view that was broken by sin. The flesh wants to hold onto the lies from Eden, but our spirits want to embrace the loving God He has always been. The flesh is contrary to God and the things of God. (Romans 8:7)

As I think on God not being able to resist me, I want to say the same back to Him. I don't want it to take a few days, hours, or even minutes to repent and come back to God. I want to love Him so deeply that I am purposeful in my wanting to stay away from anything that would hinder my relationship with Him. So I need to examine my life and my heart to see if there are things I consistently do or allow that are creating a wedge. For me lately, it's been doubt. Allowing myself to stop believing He is bigger than my problems. In other words, I'm calling God a liar because Jeremiah 32:27 says "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" and in Matthew 19:26 Jesus Himself says "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible." There is no reason for me to doubt and yet I still do. On that same note, this morning I was reminded of Psalm 56:3. It says, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." When I feel doubt trying to overtake me, don't run away, but run towards God. Don't resist Him in my moment of fear, but embrace Him. He is always ready, willing, and available.