Have you ever heard the story of the boy who cried wolf? He was a shepherd boy who cried out warning of the arrival of a wolf at least 3-4 times. His neighbors, each time came out to help him, and he laughed at them each time because there really was no wolf.
However, the 5th time the boy cried out, there really was a wolf. Because the boy had not told the truth the previous times, everyone assumed he was also not telling the truth this time, and his whole flock of sheep was devoured by the wolf.
The above story is a classic example of complacency. The neighbors of the boy had grown complacent with his cry due to the disappointment of his previous cries. They, in essence, learned not to believe him nor take him seriously. This complacency cost them all of their sheep.
This is how many have become in response to what God has said he would do because of the wait and the disappointments along the way. Many have become complacent in response to what God said he would do.
I’ve been reading in Ezra regarding the rebuilding of God’s temple. In short, the children of Israel had been in exile 70 years, and God moved the heart of King Cyrus to fund the rebuilding of the Jewish temple.
The Israelites had faced opposition and disappointment on three occasions. The last occasion a new king became ruler of the province of Persia instead of Cyrus and this new king ordered a decree to stop the building of the temple. After 70 years of exile, it looked like the Jews were going to enter their promised land only to be stopped and disappointed. It would be 16 years after this disappointment that the Jews would begin to rebuild again.
The Jews had gotten comfortable with being in exile. God had to use two prophets to prepare them for what he was about to do. God spoke through the prophet Zechariah saying that he was jealous for Israel, and angry at the nations around Israel because they felt too secure.
”Proclaim this word: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, and I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. Zechariah 1:15-16
In short, I believe what God was saying is that he feels for Israel because they have lived in a place of obscurity for so long that the nations around them had begun to take them for granted. Israel used to be that nation where no one could stand before them because their God was backing them up.
However, it appeared that God was no longer with them. Because of Israel’s disobedience, God had to chastise them for 70 years. Thus, other nations looked at them as if they weren’t a threat. They blended in with everyone else. They no longer were set apart as a nation not to be reckoned with. God wanted to change this. God wanted to bring his people back into their promised land starting with worship.
How many of us for whatever reason have gotten into a place of obscurity? How many of us have at some point or another lived in a place of numbness and complacency to the hope of change and the hope of God’s promise coming to pass in our personal lives?
Perhaps this article is an encouragement from God to stir your spirit and to prepare you for what God is about to do in your individual life. I pray that your heart and spirit is stirred as you read to position yourself and your faith-filled expectation to receive whatever it is God has planned for you in 2018.
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