The Road to Renewal

For most people, your spiritual journey won't be all sunshine and rainbows all the way. Whether you might be in one, just coming out of one, experienced one a while ago, or will in the future, you can probably relate to the topic of seasons of spiritual drought (times when you might feel far or isolated from God). The answer is simple, most times at least, "spiritual renewal begins with obedience."

Pause, and read that again.

Spiritual renewal begins with obedience.

The story of the Israelites always provides a perfect example for everything.

When they had just come out of exile in Babylon and returned to Jerusalem, they were very preoccupied picking up the rubble and trying to piece their lives back together. Unfortunately, in the process, they forgot about a very important part, the centerpiece, God. So, God sent two prophets - Haggai and Zechariah - to confront the Israelites and recenter them in the proper direction. In chapter 7, he recounts the story of the Israelites' rebellion as told to him by God,

11 “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears. 12 They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry. 13 “‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty. 14 ‘I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.’”

There are a couple key points here:

1. It was an intentional disregard for God's instructions.

Verses 11 and 12 say, "but they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears. They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets."

They heard the word, but they refused to listen and allow God speak to them; they resisted His word touching their heart. They covered their ears too, because God was persistent in trying to reach them and in their stubbornness, they decided to stop themselves from even hearing at all. I don't know about you, but that sounds a lot like me. Have you ever avoided or skimmed over a line in the word or in a prayer, maybe even stopped reading or praying at all because you didn't want to be convicted in the process?

2. God was angry

Modern Christianity seems to give the impression that God is somewhat passive or a pushover when it comes to His instructions. Many people think, "God is patient, so I'm sure me disobeying Him isn't even that big a deal." Yes, He is patient; yes, He is slow to anger, but none of those statements means He cannot get angry. Be careful with the waters on which you tread...

3. They were cutoff

Here, we see the terrible consequence of their disobedience. "‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty." (v. 13) I don't know about you, but that sounds to me like a very terrible prospect... They were cut off from God and from their blessings as well. The same land described in Exodus 3 as a land flowing with milk and honey now carries the adjective, "desolate."

Between you and me, nothing good can ever come from disobeying God, but the good news is that it's never too late to course-correct. In the very next chapter of Zechariah, the story changes to God's promises to bless them. It starts with a decision to repent and obey God's instructions. That's the same message Haggai preached as well!

If drought comes as a result of disobedience, then it only makes sense that renewal comes from obedience. Try it and see for yourself.

Peace and love of Christ be with you all!