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!

Because thou hast ... not relied on the Lord

2 Chronicles 15 mentions that the heart of Asa, king of Judah, was "perfect all his days." Yet that same chapter also hints that, under Asa's reign, some paganism remained (verse 17). So the word "perfect," in that chapter, certainly means something far short of God's perfect standard, as the subsequent chapter appears to indicate.

Turning then to chapter 16, we see that, once confronted with political and military threats, Asa shows signs of spiritual weakness. Rather than relying on God's protection, he instead turns to join forces with Syria. A prophet then comes to Asa, chastising him for not relying on God (verse 7). And the prophet reminds Asa of other times when Asa correctly put his trust in God, and God, in turn, delivered Judah from trouble (verse 8, KJV),

Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thine hand.

The prophet then warns that, because of Asa's misplaced faith, trouble will ensue (verse 9, KJV),

Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.

Evidently, Asa did not learn his lesson. He soon acquires a foot disease, but (verse 12, KJV),

...in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians.

The overarching theme was that Asa was placing his trust in earthly sources, when his first consultation should have been with God. The whole narrative is disturbing because, circling back to chapter 15, Asa's heart is described as "perfect," but, even so, sin crept in.

So what does this mean for those of us who definitely fall far short of "perfect"? It means that, first, we must make a better effort to consult God whenever confronted with trouble. Second, it means that, when we inevitably slip, we must appeal to God's abundant mercy, and turn back to his protection.

Cause me to hear ... in the morning

In the morning, when we first awake, we can set our days upon spiritual paths by saying a quick prayer. (In fact, trouble seems to start quickly when we neglect this!)

Psalm 143:8 (KJV) contains a wonderful, easy-to-memorize prayer that is perfect for a brief morning prayer. It reads,

Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.

If the Shakespearean English of the KJV feels a bit stiff, here is the same verse in the NLT,

Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.

Try memorizing this and reciting it first thing in the morning. Try that for, say, a week, and see how it sets your path!

Take the water of life freely

Revelation 22:17 (KJV) finishes the prophecy of Jesus' second coming by saying

Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

The amazing word here is "freely," a word which holds importance for our prayers. When we pray, we don't need to bring anything to God. Certainly not material possessions, but also not some lame claim to have obeyed his commandments.

Rather, we just come as ourselves. Full of sin, but also full of thirst for his righteousness. And never lose sight of how important this "water of life" is. As Jesus says in John 4:14 (KJV),

Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

I will not let thee go, except thou bless me

Chapter 32 of Genesis recounts the mysterious time when Jacob wrestled throughout the night with God. It's a dense passage, with many important spiritual implications.

But I'd like to focus on what Jacob says to God at daybreak, when God is getting ready to leave. Jacob says (verse 26, KJV),

I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

But, wait! Doesn't Jacob's tone seem a little rude? He doesn't say "please." In fact, he's physically holding onto God. Yet, God still honors the request, and certainly not because Jacob is righteous. In fact, most of Jacob's behaviors up until this point involve deception of some form or another.

Yet despite Jacob's unrighteousness, and despite his apparent rudeness, God honors Jacob's request. Jesus speeks of a similar theme in Luke 11 and Luke 18. In both of those chapters, Jesus tells parables of people who repeatedly, and annoyingly, makes requests. Yet, in both passages, those requests are honored.

I believe the message is that, when we make requests of God, we need not concern ourselves with decorum. After all, standards of "etiquette" are created by humans, not God. And we need not even pretend to be righteous. We're not. Rather, we must make our requests in faith, and with a full reliance on God's providence.

Tempted to turn back

In Numbers 13, the Israelites are struggling with their journey to their new land. Although God provides food, water, and guidance, conditions in the desert are unpleasant, and the inhabitants of the land to be conquered appear intimidating. The Israelites face strong temptations to return to Egypt. In Numbers 14:4 (KJV), the people say,

Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.

In the Old Testament, Egypt represents the literal place from which the Israelites left. But it also represents our former lives before following God. The journey can be difficult, and we are often tempted to "return to Egypt." But let us pray for strength to press forward. As Jesus says in Revelation 3:5 (KJV),

He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life.