Turn Towards or Turn Away?

Isaiah 45:22 “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God and there is no other.”

Many people we come across refuse to turn to God or even acknowledge his existence. On one occasion, a barber said to the man whose hair he was cutting: “I don’t believe that God exists.” “Why do you say that?” asked the customer. “Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn’t exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain.” The customer stayed quiet to avoid an argument. Once finished, he paid and left. Out on the street, he saw a man with long, matted hair and an untrimmed beard. He was filthy and smelly. The customer went back into the barber shop again and he said to the barber: “You know what? Barbers don’t exist!” “How can you say that?” asked the surprised barber. “I’m here, and I’m a barber. And I just cut your hair!” “No!” the customer went on: “Barbers don’t exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside.” “But barbers do exist! That’s what happens when people don’t come to me.” “Exactly!” said the customer. “That’s the point! God, too, does exist! That’s what happens when people don’t go to Him and don’t turn to Him for help. That’s why there’s so much pain and suffering in the world.”

It’s a pithy story, but maybe one worth sharing with your atheist or agnostic friends. If you’re reading this, you’ve probably already committed your life to God, but we still manage to turn elsewhere so often in search of solutions to our problems. Turn to him today.

Lord, you are God, and there is no other. I choose to turn to you for guidance today, rather than anywhere else. Amen!