There’s Still Time to Turn Back

I have probably mentioned that I am reading the Bible with new eyes these days. Today I finished II Chronicles, which tells the story of the downward spiral of the kingdom of Judah. And I read a verse that jumped out at me: in the past I would have read the words thinking that they had nothing to do with me, but I don’t see it that way anymore.

 Here is what I read: ‘The Lord, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent his prophets to warn them, for he had compassion on his people and his Temple, but the people mocked these messengers of God and despised their words. They scoffed at the prophets until the Lord’s anger could no longer be restrained and nothing could be done. So, the Lord brought the king of Babylon against them. The Babylonians killed Jodah’s young men, even chasing after them into the temple. They had no pity on the people, killing both young men and young women, the old and the infirm. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. The king took home to Babylon all the articles, large and small, used in the temple of God, and the treasures from both the Lord’s Temple and from the palace of the king and his officials. Then his army burned the Temple of God, tore down the walls of Jerusalem, burned all the palaces, and completely destroyed everything of value.’ (II Chronicles 36:15-19).

Wow.  What a picture! Can you imagine the terror they must have felt when this happened? Young men being chased into the temple and murdered there? Maybe they ran into the temple as kind of a ‘good luck’ charm, but they didn’t realize or remember that the power of God in their lives was based on their relationship with Him. And this thought hit me: we are currently living in a day of compassion, as far as the Lord is behaving toward us right now: He has not unleashed his anger at those who are walking in active rebellion against Him, but one day He will. In the past, I would have seen this through a negative lens, because that was the lens I always viewed God from. It wasn’t until the day I had wandered so far from Him, knowing that I was hurting Him, but not knowing what else to do: that day, the day He came and got, that’s when my life really began. I see it so differently now! So, here’s what I noticed, before the promised judgment came:

-God sends people to warn us when we are in sin. He doesn’t give up after the first try or the second try! He warns us repeatedly. It’s like when we warn our kids: don’t do this thing: we warn them, warn them again, and if they don’t listen, they will know they deserved whatever punishment we promised. God does not want to punish them: in the same way we as parents don’t really want to punish our kids. But He cannot allow us to go on in our sinful selfish ways, hurting other people that He loves. So, He warns us: Is He warning you? He spoke to me repeatedly in a gentle whisper: “this isn’t a good path you are choosing! Choose me and find life.” Our enemy wants us to treat God with distrust, and that is what I did for so long. But guess what: Our enemy is a liar, and the Father of Lies! It wasn’t until I started reading my Bible that I began to believe the truth.

-God’s compassion runs deeper than we can imagine. ‘But you, O Lord, are a god of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. (Psalm 86:15) God doesn’t want to be angry at us! He just wants a relationship with us. He warned the people in Deuteronomy, before they ever went into the Promised Land. It was going to be a gift to them, but it came with blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. God goes into great length describing what He will do to get their attention. And it’s the same for us today. If we seek Him with our whole heart, He promises to let us find Him. And He is patiently waiting right now for us to do that. That’s his compassion in action. But here’s the thing: if you don’t really believe that what God offers you is better than what you can find on your own, then you will never really get to know Him. That’s the very thought that had me trapped for so long! I didn’t know Him, didn’t want to know Him, and so I wasted away for a while until I was so miserable that I decided to reluctantly open my Bible and see what it said. And that was when I saw His compassion and kindness to me: after all, I was still here on this earth. There was still hope for me! The realization that God still wanted a relationship with me after all I had done to hurt him was mind-blowing. And then I started to ask myself this question: ‘What if it’s all true? What if God is right and I am wrong?’ (Deep down, I think we all know the answer to that one!) But here’s the difference: this time, I decided to act on it. To believe and trust God’s word and that’s when my life started to change.

-we always have a choice in how we respond. This is another way God shows His kindness toward us. He doesn’t demand honor or respect. He lets us choose whether we will choose to believe Him or to keep trusting in ourselves. In this case, the people mocked the messengers, despised their words, and scoffed at the prophets. And the voices of anger and mocking are often louder than the voices of truth. You can resist God for a while. I know I did! But the longer you resist Him, the more dangerous it will become for you. The harder your heart will get until it comes to a place where ‘nothing more could be done.’ I was headed to that dangerous place too: I suppose that’s why I am still so grateful for the day He came and got me! The scales fell off my eyes, and I woke up! If you’re not sure if this is you or not, try asking God to open your eyes. Go get a Bible off your shelf and start reading in the book of John. Go to someone in your life and ask their forgiveness for something you know they have against you. Take steps to soften your heart and watch what happens. Get rid of any known sin and God will show up for you. God has promised to draw near to those who draw near to Him.

If I compare my life today to my life eight or so years ago, there is no comparison! I have joy, peace, and purpose. And I am loved by the God of all creation. I want you to know that too.