I don’t know about anyone else but I have tended to focus more recently on the current world happenings and the stress and worries that go along with seeing that. I’m certainly not oblivious to the past. Trust me, I have known and have studied events from the past, but, again, my focus was more on things that are occurring now. However, I started to notice something very curious. If you are reading your Bible, you have known that it has been foretold in Revelations about the second coming of Jesus. However, we also need to remember that it was also foretold in the Old Testament as prophesy in the book of Malachi and well as other old testament books. (I’m focusing on Malachi mainly because this is where I had my epiphany).
All of Malachi is about prophesy but I want to bring your attention to three verses that stuck out to me as it relates to human nature and what I now see. In Malachi 3:6-7 which states: “Surely I, the Lord, do not change, nor do you cease to be sons of Jacob. Since the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes, and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. Yet you say, “How must we return?””. Verse 13 states: “You have defied me in word, says the Lord, yet you ask, “What have we spoken against you?””.
As I began reading some other books that has helped me to break down what each book in the Bible is about, I began to notice a pattern…and, trust me, it’s a VERY distinctive pattern that tends to get missed because we are so focused on what we are seeing now. So here it is: God gives (love, support, guidance, miracles, etc.), we take what He gives, then, after a while, we forget what God has given us. Wars are fought, conquering happens then we beg God to save us and God does. This is the pattern that goes on and on, and here we are today, doing the same things as our ancestors did, never learning from it all. The pattern repeats because we take and follow his laws and statutes for a while then we forget again how loving our God is and how much of a relationship that He wants with us. Over and over this pattern has been repeated throughout the Bible. I never saw it before but I can’t unsee it now.
So, how do you break a destructible pattern?
First, we must recognize that there is a pattern. We must see how we constantly turn away from a loving God and we turn back to worldly things. Secondly, we need to realize that God NEVER steps away from us. That’s on our shoulders. We see something shinier and prettier and reach for that instead of reaching for Godly things but we need to remember that those shiny and pretty things will not get us very far. Thirdly, we need to be vigilant and to stay faithful as best we can and trust in our God who is always faithful to us. Is that easy? No, not at all. Finally, we have ONE saving grace… that God sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for ALL of our sins and rose again so that we know how much we are loved and can be saved if only we just believe. (Related post: When God Promises… He Delivers)
Jesus did this so that at the end of time, our time and God’s time, we know that God has given us EVERYTHING that He can to save us from ourselves. Sorrows will happen, but when we turn from God and ONLY remember Him when we are in need, then we have no one to blame but ourselves when we continue to repeat a losing pattern. God’s not to blame for the burdens that we put on ourselves, but He is the answer if we only know where to look and to keep our eyes on Him through it all.
What did I learn from this? That pattern sure was an eye-opener for me. Sure it’s easy to get caught up in worldly things especially when we have so many things, like technology, at our fingertips. The question that I have for myself and others is this: are we using the knowledge, that we can get so easily, in a wise manner? Are we asking God to give us a spirit of discernment in what we see and hear so that we can begin to know how the world (the devil) tries to keep us in that destructive pattern? Again, I cannot unsee that pattern anymore. So, my goal is to help others to see that pattern as well so we can all break the chains of sin that keep us from our loving Father. (Related post: Correcting Our Course)
So, what can you gain from this? Look back on your life. Look at the directions or the paths that you’ve traveled on over that time. Were those paths guided by your needs and wants or was there something bigger that guided you to where you are today? If you relied on your own understanding and choose your own path, where was God in those choices? Were you just repeating a pattern or were you trusting God to get you where you needed to be?
It sure is something to think about, isn’t it? Also, remember that if you don’t like the path you’re on, ask God to help you out…but then don’t go back to the same old pattern that you were stuck in. God gives us free will and the choice is yours after all, but don’t blame God for the choices that you decided to make. When you understand that, then you are well on your way to creating a new pattern in your life and one that will take you down a new and better path. (Related post: A Blessed Path)
A Joyful Mission 