(Day 5 of a series called “23 days to a better devotional life.” I’m posting daily this month on devotions.)

I’ve had periods in my life where I won’t read the Bible for weeks or even months. I won’t pray much either. I feel far away from God. I know I should communicate with Him, but it’s hard to start up again.

When I finally turn back to God, I’m always amazed and grateful because I sense God welcoming me back. I sense Him giving me yet another chance to build a relationship with Him.

It only takes one or two days of connecting with God for me to sense His love and grace. I’m glad He doesn’t give me a guilt trip for being away so long.

He’s just like the father of the prodigal son in Luke 15: 11-24. He’s waiting and hoping I’ll come back home. And when He sees me draw near, He runs out to greet me and throws me a “welcome back home” party. Our God is so awesome!

A couple weeks ago, one of my college friends gave a testimony at a religious program. She said she needed motivation in her life to fight laziness. She wanted to be more productive with her time. She hadn’t been studying much for her classes. Also, she had been ignoring God.

So, she turned to God for help and she was surprised how quickly He reached out to her. God gave her strength and motivation to live life more productively.

How about you? Currently, how’s your devotional life going? If you haven’t turned to God in a while, know that He is near. I love what the author John Ortberg says, “God is closer than you think.” And not only that, He’s ready to welcome you back into a close relationship with Him.