But after they had rest...

The book of Nehemiah (and it's companion Ezra) focus on the Jewish people rebuilding the temple after returning from exile. Without digging into all of the historical details here, let us focus on Chapter 9, where Nehemiah is pleading to God for forgiveness for the entire nation. In verse 28 (KJV), he says,

But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the land of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies.

This is a summary of the Jewish peoples' dealings with God, but it's also a very accurate summary of our dealings with God. How many times do we plead with God for relief from some trouble? And then when he provides that relief, how many times do we once again become spiritually lax? And then the whole cycle repeats, with God again providing relief, and us again letting our guard down.

I wish it were easy to break that cycle. Even Paul, in his many letters, hints at the difficulty of breaking that cycle. I certainly don't have wise thoughts on how to break the cycle. Perhaps the main lesson is this: God is very merciful, and we need to be grateful for that mercy. Because we don't seem to deserve it.

The battle is not yours, but God's

Returning to 2 Chronicles, chapter 20 finds Judah being attacked by several of its neighbors. King Jehoshaphat assembles the people, and, rather than trying to concoct some scheme himself, he instead appeals to God's protection. In verse 9 (KJV), he prays, 

If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.

God's answer (verses 15-17, KJV) reads,

Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. To morrow go ye down against them ... Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you ... for the Lord will be with you.

When we're confronted with trouble, it's so easy to rest on our own schemes, or find our own solutions. Instead, Jehoshaphat turns directly to God, not with clever words or deep philosophy, but rather with faith. (Note Jehoshaphat's confident wording: though wilt hear and help.) Let us learn from Jehoshaphat's example!