Year of the Bible: Part Six of Twelve Exemplo

Just Like He Said

“How many times do I have to tell you?” is a common warning from a parent to a child who isn’t listening. The parent doesn’t want difficult consequences to come upon the child, and God never wants judgments to come upon us. Truth is like the law of gravity: whether you like it or not, you are subject to it. The spiritual laws and truth God has set in place are there for our blessing and good, and He has placed boundaries on our behavior meant to keep us in a place of pleasant living. You have a free choice, however.

A striking takeaway from these passages is that God’s purpose will be done! He said captivity would happen under certain circumstances, and it did. He said that after 70 years of captivity in Babylon, the people would be free to return to their land, and they were. Amazingly, even during the difficult circumstances of Judah’s captivity—even in that historical time of awful trouble—God was good, kind, and merciful, just like He said He was. That does not mean there weren’t faithful humans saying “yes” to the Lord—people who participated in bringing His promises to pass. The Lord can turn even the heart of powerful unbelievers like Cyrus and Nebuchadnezzar to accomplish His purposes.

Question: Have you ever messed up and, yet, felt incredibly loved by your parents or by God?

Prayer: Thank God that He disciplines you as an expression of His love. Though it may be painful in the moment, welcome His discipline and anticipate the long-term fruit it will bring. Today is a good day to ask God to intervene in any way needed to keep you from wandering off the path He placed you on before you were born. Pray that every good purpose He had when creating you would be accomplished.