Regain What You Have Lost; Return To God & His Word!
Word-of-the-Day: ‘<God said to Jeremiah,> (2) “This is what the LORD says, He who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it—the LORD is His name: (3) Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’” (Jeremiah 33:2-3)
Often, we find ourselves in situation that don’t look good. It may not necessarily be a situation of our own making but one that is helped along by others that may not have the understanding or perception of how dire or troubling the situation is. I could point to several points in the history of the United States where a perceptive minority saw the writing on the wall, yet the majority of the people pushed forward until it was too late.
We also see this in the microcosm of college football. The teams that seem to dominate each year, and thus have big followings and fans who believe every year may be their next national title, are starting to feel the effects of the ‘Name-Image-Likeness’ rules, which allows players to be paid to pay, and with some restrictions in place allows them to leave the team they played for previously to go play for another team that provides more money. Thus, the perennial teams that used to stack talent several strings deep now have a great first-string of starters but may have good but not great talents in their backups.
The fans of these dominant programs may think all is well as the season starts, and it looks like it did in years past; another great championship-leading run with a string of wins. But with the talent now stretched out among more teams, and the former backups now with other teams that allow them to play, the chances of an upset loss against them are greater, as is one or two key injuries will derail their championship ambitions.
The teams that had the foresight to see this new landscape now thrive, while some of the former powerhouses of college football have faded into the rest of the pack. While it’s good to see newer teams enjoy the spotlight, the adjustment period for the long-time college football fan seems long and painful, and in the short-term not good for the sport overall, though in the long-term, more competition brought by a greater parity can bring in a greater fan base as their teams play more meaningful games. For some, the game and their teams seem to be now and forever hopelessly lost.
King Zedekiah of Judah did not have such foresight. The last king of Judah recorded before the Babylonian exile in 2 Chronicles 36, was ungodly and did not see the disaster about to hit him, Jerusalem, and the people of Judah, and when Jeremiah the prophet told him of the fate about to befall him and the nation, responded by imprisoning Jeremiah in the courtyard of the guards at the royal palace.
Like many people today, including those who think the downfall from the excellence their college football team once had may be temporary, we fail to see the indications that were clear before the downfall of those things that we believe could never fail. The indications of our society turning away from the Christian ethos to one of secularism were there, but we chose to ignore them – and now are surprised to find the indications are now mainstream.
Zedekiah, and many in Judah, refused to see his surroundings and listen to Jeremiah and the Word of God. The Babylonians were literally at the gates of Jerusalem, and yet Zedekiah did nothing to stop them, ignoring God’s Word and turning his back to Him. The Babylonians were building siege ramps and blockaded the city from receiving food and goods, yet Zedekiah refused to listen.
Jerusalem did eventually fall into the hands of Babylon; the city was sacked, its people taken to Babylon, and the city and the Temple were looted and burned. Zedekiah was taken to Babylon, but not before he was forced to see his sons killed, then blinded and kept shackled on the journey there (2 Kings 25). He likely was in denial until it was too late. The indicators were there, the Word was given as a warning, yet Zedekiah and the people continued on the path of destruction until it was too late. It seems dire, with a future appearing to have little hope.
But in Jeremiah 33, the ‘weeping prophet’, (or Bad News Bearer), Jeremiah, even as he is imprisoned by Zedekiah, provides a message of hope to the people of Israel. Even as the siege ramps were being built and the destruction not yet taking place, God gave Jeremiah the hope that the Israelites would be returning to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and the Temple.
The message of Jeremiah 33:2-3 is the people had to do one simple thing; repent. They had to realize what they truly lost was not their homes, possessions, or their country, but they lost their relationship with God Himself. The situation they ignored wasn’t the evil that was happening around them, but it was the God that could have prevented the evil from permeating their society, and could reverse it if they had simply called upon Him to do so.
What happened could not be reversed, and Judah and Jerusalem were forever changed; the city walls, the buildings, and the Temple would be rebuilt, but they would never be restored to their original luster. Zedekiah would never see again or have his sons at his side. But was could be reversed was the people could return to God and rebuild anew, to a new ‘normal’ with our God who never changes among them.
Our nation and society today have greatly changed, and with it comes changes that we will never reverse. But we can rebuild it to be more in the semblance of what it should be, by asking God who will answer us and will be among us. Many may have lost hope, perhaps in the changes we’ve seen in society, perhaps in the political landscape that shifts on us repeatedly.
That hope can be regained through regaining our relationship with Jesus; pray and petition Him for such change. Pick up the Bible, and begin to read it again. Return to a Biblically-based, Christ-centered church and engage in fellowship with other Believers. Regain what you have lost by returning to God and His Word!
