Our Restorer of Hearts

No one is ever too far from God.

Let us never doubt His ability to restore even the most distant heart. For this is the miraculous rescue of Manasseh's heart... the King of Judah who... did what was evil in the Lord’s sight... reestablished the altars for the Baals... made Asherah poles... He built altars in the Lord’s temple... practiced witchcraft, divination, and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists.... did a great deal of evil in the Lord’s sight, provoking Him. (from 2 Chronicles 33:2-6)

And the Lord let him have his way for many years, leading the people of Judah astray. It wasn't as if God gave up on him, turning His back, thinking him a lost cause as we humans have a tendency to do.

Rather...
The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they didn’t listen. So He brought against them the military commanders of the king of Assyria. They captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
2 Chronicles 33:10-11

And this, for Manasseh must have been his moment. For this is when he chose to cry out to God. He could have considered it too late... as if the Lord may not listen... as if he had become too evil, wandered too far, committed too many wrongs to come back to the heart of God.

But God heard Manasseh's prayer. God answered His request, even graciously giving back his kingdom. Forgiveness was not gracious enough for our God. He went above and beyond when He saw the earnest and humble heart return.

And Manasseh came to KNOW Yahweh as HIS God.

This is the finest hour of our lives. When we finally take God as our own. No longer our mom's God. No longer our friend's God. No longer our pastor or priest's God. But when we come to realize the Lord Jesus as our very own God. The One who came to save us personally, as if there were no other sinner on earth. When the connection becomes so personal, so real that we humbly bow before Him, recognizing and receiving all He has done for us... THAT is when He becomes Our Restorer of Hearts. THAT is when He becomes OUR God!