It Always Comes Back To Coming Back

Have you ever watched a little kid playing?

It’s fascinating… the minute the kid gets hurt or scared…

What do they do?

They run back to mom or dad—arms open, tears in their eyes, ready to be rescued.

No hesitation.
No overthinking.
They just run.

I think there are a lot of reasons God tells us to be like little children.
And perhaps this is one of them.

As an adult
A leader
A business owner…

Where do you run when a challenge comes?

I think it’s really easy to run to logic and reason.
To things of this world.

Think about how we normally handle things…

If we are sick… we run to doctors.
If the business is struggling… we run to business experts.
If cash is low… we start looking at assets, accounts, and strategies.

It’s easy to run to things of this world… first.

Then when that doesn’t work…
then we cry out to God.

But what if that was never the design?
What if we were meant to run to Him first… not last?

In 2 Kings 1 we see King Ahaziah follow this exact pattern.

He falls out of his window and can’t walk.
And instead of seeking God…

He sends people to consult Baal-zebub
_{(which ironically means “lord of the flies”)}

He looks for answers in something powerless.

So God sends Elijah with a question:

“Is it because there is no God in Israel?”

It’s an easy question to read past.

But if we’re honest…
it’s not an easy question to answer.

If we serve the God of the universe…
Why do we run to everything else first?

Doctors, strategies, financial plans—God can use all of those things.

The question isn’t whether they are good.

It’s whether we go to Him before we run to them…
or only cry out after everything else fails.

God tells us in Isaiah 55:8–9:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways…”

We know His ways are better.
But we still try to figure it out on our own first.

Money gets tight…
and we immediately start solving.

Looking.
Adjusting.
Fixing.

Our instinct is to act.
Not to run.

Remember that little kid?

Their first instinct is never:
“Let me figure this out.”

It’s to run to mom and dad.

But somewhere along the way…
We stopped running.

And the hard truth?

We’re not going to fix that perfectly.

We’re going to default back to control.
To logic.
To what makes sense.

So the answer isn’t trying harder.

It’s this:
When you catch yourself running the wrong direction…

Stop.
And turn around.

Remember the question:

“Is it because there is no God in Israel?”

Not as condemnation…
But as an invitation.

Repentance in Hebrew—teshuvah—literally means to turn.
It’s not a feeling word.
It’s a direction word.

We are going to try to fix things ourselves.

But when we catch it…
We don’t beat ourselves up.
We just turn around.
And come back.

And the best part is…
We serve a God of love and mercy.
A God who runs to meet us.
Just like the father ran to meet the prodigal son.

Our return will always be met.
Every time.
Without exception.

Our tendency to rely on the world first…
isn’t something we fix once.
It’s something we keep turning from.
Over and over again.

Imperfectly.
Repeatedly.

And coming back…
is always enough.