Daily D – 2 Chronicles 36:15, 16
2 Chronicles 36:15, 16
The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. (NIV)
God, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent warning messages to them. Out of compassion for both his people and his Temple he wanted to give them every chance possible. But they wouldn’t listen; they poked fun at God’s messengers, despised the message itself, and in general treated the prophets like idiots. (MSG)
Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. (NIV)
Romans 1:28-32 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. (NIV)
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The more things change, the more they don’t. Those who esteem themselves smarter than God continue making the same mistakes generation after generation and wonder why their brilliant ideas never work as intended.
It is as if some people think and say, “But we’ve never made this mistake this way. If we try it this way, maybe this time it will work.”
There are two ways people look at their plans. First, they see what they want to see. Second, they find out what really happens.
A good coaching question when someone tells you a dubious desire is, “Is this what will probably happen or what you want to happen?” Some people have a hard time distinguishing between these two outcomes until it’s too late.
One best practice every planning team should learn is called a Premortem. Once an individual or a team crafts a strategic plan of some kind, the next step is to ask a simple question: “Six months from now, if this plan has failed, what was the cause?”
A plan does not guarantee progress or success. Plans require implementation and anticipation. We have to do what we say we will do. We have to anticipate that tomorrow does not necessarily look like today. Circumstances change. Events beyond our control happen. We need to ponder how we will pivot when disruptions occur.
What if Israel nearing the end of their days as a nation had paused and repented? What if they listened to all those prophets God kept sending? What if they recognized the signs of their own destruction? What if? God promised deliverance, salvation, healing, and restoration.
Israel said, “No,” and not politely. God said, “The End,” and removed his hand of protection. In the end, we get to say to God, “Thy will be done,” or “My will be done.” The outcomes are assured. Only one of them is good.
There is a positive alternative worth living for now and forever. A simple daily prayer can set you moving in the right direction. “Show me the way I should go.”
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I will live in the positive alternative provided by walking with God through my moments and days.
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Our Father, show us the way we should go. Deliver us from thinking we can outsmart the politicians, the universe, and you. Give us your eyes to see things as they and as they can be by your grace and in your strength. Bless us with better outcomes than any we could imagine or devise. Amen.
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