The God of Second Chances
God is a kind God, which is unusual to hear about today, since He's often portrayed as angry, indifferent, or even hateful. But his kindness shows up at the most-needed moments. Sometimes, we forfeit His plans for our lives by heading off in our own direction. We come to the end of ourselves and realize that His plans are better than ours. At this point, we may think it's too late for our lives to be salvaged into something good again. When we mess things up, we tend to think they're messed up permanently.
Thankfully, they're not!
God tells us in the Bible that He "...freely forgives." (Isaiah 55:7; 1 John 1:9, HCSB)
Why don't we believe Him? There's nothing that trips us up more in life than simply disbelieving God. We can spend a lifetime regretting past mistakes and living under the weight of this burden. But after the nation of Israel was conquered by Babylon in 586 B.C. - exiled from their homeland and taken into captivity and slavery because they had become so corrupt - God gave them this promise:
This is what the Lord says: "When 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:10-11, NIV)
Even though they had made a mess of their lives, God still loved them and desired good things for them. He was still willing to establish good lives for them if they would change direction and start faithfully walking in His ways, beginning with a commitment to make their relationship with Him pre-eminent - above everything else in life. THEN, He would hear and answer their prayers for help; THEN, He would provide security and stability in life:
"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, " and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile." (Jeremiah 29:12-14)
It works the same today. People often wonder why prayers seem unanswered, why needed change never comes. When we place Him first in our lives and walk in His ways, He promises to give us full, rich lives. In John 10:10 Jesus says,"The thief has come to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full." And regarding the provision of our needs, He teaches us in Matthew 6:33 to "...seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to [us]." THEN, He provides beauty in place of brokenness, freedom from vices that relentlessly cling to us, and an overflowing supply of fulfillment, joy, peace, and rest. (Isaiah 61:1-4; Psalm 16:11; Hebrews 4:1-3; Romans 14:17) In Christ, God offers us full life (both earthly and eternal) through the forgiveness of our sins. Don't miss it!!