“Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I myself made a covenant with your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, saying, 14‘At the end of seven years each of you must set free the fellow Hebrew who has been sold to you and has served you six years; you must set him free from your service.’ But your fathers did not listen to me or incline their ears to me. 15You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name, 16but then you turned around and profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves, whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your slaves. (Jeremiah 34:13–16)
The Israelites were supposed to release their fellow Jews from slavery after seven years, but they had been violating that statute. For some reason, in a moment of fear or conscience, they
repented and actually turned then loose. Great! God was pleased. But then they turned around and enslaved them all over again!It’s easy to shake our head in dismay and disgust at their behavior and miss that same kind of tendency in our own hearts. I’m not thinking of breaking New Year’s resolutions. I’m thinking of the general frame of mind where we have to be in control of the events of our lives. We keep trying to make like happen by ourselves and for ourselves.
A few years back, during my daily time with God, I thought it might be a good idea to ask Him what He wanted me to pray for our marriage. (Duh!) I was surprised and delighted when He said, “Get a pen and paper and start writing.” In rapid-fire He gave me a list of thirty-two things to pray for my marriage. Awesome! So I began praying through that list every day. It gave God free reign to significantly reshape both our hearts and our relationship. But over time I became a little complacent and I caught myself thinking, “I’m a little pressed for time this morning. Our marriage is doing very well. I don’t really need to pray for all of those specifics today. I’ll just pray in general terms. After all, it’s better than nothing.”
And then a few days ago God reminded me: “Steve, I was the One who gave you that list because I want you to ask for those specific things, but now you’re treating it as if it’s your list.” Oops! Ever so subtly, I had taken control of something that God Himself had initiated and asked me to do. It was not my idea, it was His!
How easy it is to submit things to God and then, over time, take them back again! One defense against this propensity is to daily pray something like:
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting! Psalm 139:23–24
