Back to the Starting Line

They didn’t trust Me. They didn’t obey My voice. They refused to listen to Me. Instead they followed the plans of their own stubborn hearts. Each step was a step backward, not forward. (JEREMIAH 7:24 THE VOICE, emphasis added)

If you are a parent, you can probably think of at least a few times you warned your son or daughter not to do something. But nooo, they thought their way made more sense and then walked right into a bad situation. It’s very hard to watch and even harder not to be able to stop them because you know that whatever it is they’re about to do is going to hurt – a lot. Sometimes the hurt is immediate; other times it comes back to bite them years later. If only they had listened…

Yet we, as adults, do the same thing – maybe not with an earthly parent, but often with our heavenly One. We have God’s Word that provides answers for handling every problem we face. We have the gift of prayer where we can talk to Him directly for His help and guidance and assurance. We can fast and pray for hearing God’s voice and gaining spiritual perspective. And yet we continually resort to our own logic, our own plans, our trust in ourselves rather than trust in Him. God calls this going backward, not forward. Why, oh why do we do this?

The words trust, obey, and listen are three actions that equate to forward motion, which is what we all want for our lives. But sometimes it’s three steps forward, two steps backward. So, when that happens, it’s okay to circle right back around to the starting line to begin afresh. Thank goodness the Lord doesn’t scold or balk. He may be grieved over the pain we bring on ourselves, but His mercies are new every morning. We serve a loving and patient God.

Father,

Forgive me the times I’ve turned to You last and not first. Forgive me for not trusting You for the answers and provision I so desperately need. Thank You for Your grace and especially Your patience as I constantly have to make my way back to You. You were right to refer to me, to us, to the human race as sheep! But You are so good to continually rein us back into Your safe shelter.

You are so good. Amen.

This is an excerpt from God’s Truth for Troubled Times by Lisa Stilwell - a devotional book now available from DaySpring publishing. Learn more about this book, or shop other books & devotionals from DaySpring.