Devotional - April 24, 2004

Reading the Old Testament can be addictive. The more you read, the more you need. Take the account of the Israelites in Canaan after their wilderness journey for example. If one thing is constant from Genesis to Malachi, it's the way God's people perfected the sin cycle. And please pardon that oxymoron.

With the former inhabitants of Canaan still living among them, it's only a matter of time before their evil influence corrupts God's people. And almost like clockwork, a sin-cycle runs it course. Look at three verses of Judges chapter 3.

In verse 7, the Israelites did evil and forgot the Lord. (I wonder which came first: forgetting the Lord or doing evil?) In verse 8, the anger of the Lord burned against Israel subjecting them to eight years of torment in return. The third step is found in verse 9: But when they cried out to the Lord, he helped them. Verse 10-11: The Spirit of God came upon him and the people enjoyed peace for forty years.

Do you see the pattern? If not, here is the short version: 1) you forget your vow to the Lord, 2) you sin, 3) God removes the protection over your life that you enjoyed allowing severe problems to knock you to your knees, 4) From your knees, you look up and pray, asking God for forgiveness and help and then 5) God hears and restores while 6) consequences of our sin lingers with a life of their own.

Good thing for God's people of any age to live by, wouldn't you say? If you say "Yes," I don't believe you're thinking right. I mean, who wants forty years of bondage, God's anger and a lifetime of consequences when you can avoid it? The fact is we can live the righteous-cycle as easily as the sin-cycle. It's a matter of personal choice. Here's what it looks like:

1) Absorb yourself in God's word, 2) Spend substantive time praying, 3) enjoy fellowship with God, 4) Fiery trials come (and they will!), 5) God gets you through without a hair on your head being singed and 6) You thank him and start the cycle again.

It's wonderful that God comes to our rescue when we're going through trials and tribulations. But, wouldn't it be better if we were in the prayer room with Him when it happened? He doesn't have very far to travel.