Will You Turn Back to Me?

 

Readings 022526

There’s a truth we don’t like to admit.
The devil rarely tempts us with things that look evil.
He tempts us with distortions of the good—
riches that promise security,
honor that promises belonging,
pride that promises strength.
None of these are bad in themselves…
but twisted just a little,
they pull us away from the God who made us.

And into that quiet drift, Christ steps in
and offers us the opposite of what we think we want.
Poverty instead of riches.
Powerlessness instead of honor.
Humility instead of pride.
They don’t glitter.
They don’t shine.
But they are gifts—
gifts that open our hands,
clear our vision,
and make room for God.

We see that same clarity in Jonah's story.
A whole city hears God’s warning
and everything changes.
They drop their pride, their violence—
and they turn.
And the moment they turn,
God turns toward them with mercy.

And Jesus carries that message straight into the Gospel.
He tells the crowd:
you keep asking for signs,
you keep waiting for proof,
you keep wanting God to perform on command.
But the only sign you need
is the sign of Jonah—
because Nineveh didn’t wait for certainty.
They heard God’s voice
and they changed their lives.

Jesus brings it closer:
“Something greater than Jonah is here.”
How much more should we turn
when the Son of God Himself
is calling us home.

So everything—our temptations,
our distortions,
Jonah’s warning,
Jesus’ invitation—
gathers into one question,
quiet but searching:

When I call you to turn back,
will you trust My mercy enough
to actually turn?

Prayer

Lord, 

Turn our wandering hearts to You again.
Loosen our grip on the things that cannot save.
Quiet the pride that rises, 

the fear that clings, 

the lies that pull us away.

Teach us the holy freedom of humility,

the deep peace of trusting Your mercy.
Open our hands to receive what only You can give.
Open our eyes to see the One who calls us home.
In our turning, meet us with grace.
In Your mercy, make us new.

Amen