The Methods of Men

2 Chronicles 7:14

Message No. 0679 | Twitter @GodandUs | www.wisdom-speaks.ca

Through many generations, we have seen people trying to devise alternative methods to the ways of God. In Exodus 32, when Moses was busy in the presence of God, taking instructions for Israel and obtaining the two tablets containing God’s covenant with His people, the people finally found a way to get rid of the ‘strange’ ways Moses had taught them since leaving Egypt. They had since lived under these methods, being made to trust a God they could not physically see, safe that they were told this was the God of their fathers, and only taking instructions from His servant, Moses.

As Moses delayed in the presence of God, they quickly seized on the situation and asked Aaron to make them gods, physical gods that they could see, so they could worship it, in the ways and methods they were familiar with, as they had seen Egypt do when they lived in the land of slavery. Even though those ways and methods did not deliver them from the terror of 430 years, yet they preferred to go back to what they knew. By doing this, Israel almost irreparably damaged their relationship with God, as He thought of destroying them and replacing them with offspring from Moses. Times without number, Israel provoked God in the wilderness by threatening to go back to Egypt, until God eventually destroyed all adults over the age of 20 who left Egypt, sparing only Joshua and Caleb.

The question is, after many failed attempts, why is it still attractive for man to abandon the ways of God for man-made ways, and expecting results to differ? Take for instance, the relationship between spouses. When they are unable to resolve their “irreconcilable” differences, they are sometimes asked to see a therapist in order that they do not end up in divorce. And what does the therapist do? He or she calls them together and asked them questions and why spouse ‘A’ thinks that spouse ‘B’ is not doing something well enough and how they feel under varying conditions and etcetera, etcetera. Right there in the presence of the therapist, the couple engages in hot arguments as ‘A’ does not and will never succumb to the reasonings of ‘B.’ In the end, we see the spouses separate and eventually divorce each other.

One sometimes asks in wondering, why do spouses need therapists? Why can’t each person see and accept his or her errors and ask for the forgiveness of the other? In 2 Chronicles chapter 7 verse 14, the Bible says:

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Why can’t we humble ourselves to ask for forgiveness when we are wrong? Why do we carry ourselves to therapists who, in most cases, do not know God and why do we expect that their methods would resolve our problems when God has a well-defined way and method for us to follow? What is a therapist going to teach me if I acknowledge my fault and genuinely ask for forgiveness? Why does the world believe so much in ways that fail over and over?

In every relationship, especially the relationship between us and God, we are expected to always know when we are wrong and to ask for forgiveness. If we are so full of ourselves and we refuse to do this, aren’t we risking incurring the wrath of our Maker? In Psalm 66 verse 18, the Bible says if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. Why do we prefer to keep ourselves in the bondage of sin and expect things to turn around? In Acts chapter 3 verse 19, the Bible says:

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.

There is no earthly method that anyone can use to translate from sorrow to joy except the method of God. There is no better method to resolve our differences than to acknowledge that we are wrong and to ask for forgiveness from each other. Because Christians have the mind of Christ, if we see genuine humility and repentance from anyone who offended us, our hearts are healed, and we are able to move from pain to forgiveness. A thousand therapists cannot restore our souls, only Jesus can.

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 Lord I know that I am a sinner and I am unable to save myself. I am sorry for my sins and I pray that you please forgive me. I am aware that Your Son Jesus died for my sins and I accept Him as my Lord and savior. I surrender my life unto you from this moment. Please take control of my entire being and help me to be obedient to your Word, going forward. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me. I have prayed in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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