Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
God is a God of new opportunities. The Bible is full of people who received second chances, and even third and fourth chances: the son of the widow of Nain, the Samaritan woman, Peter, Jonah, Mark, Samson, David, and so many others. All trophies of God’s grace.
I think one of the greatest lies we can believe is, “It’s too late!” At some point in our lives, we all feel like we’ve missed our chance or messed up an important opportunity. We can even be tempted to believe that we’ve disqualified ourselves from having a great future…that our best days are behind us.
A good example of God’s giving new chances is the King Manasseh. His reign was violent and of profound moral and religious corruption. This king refused to listen to the exhortations of the Lord through his prophets. Consequently, he was even deported to Babylon under the rule of the Assyrians. However, the biblical text in the book of Chronicles reports that Manasseh humbled himself and prayed to the Lord, showing repentance. God then allowed him to resume the throne, giving him a new chance.
One of the amazing facets of God’s character is His incredible patience with us. He does everything possible to draw us to repentance, offering forgiveness and second chances (2 Peter 3:9). But if we continue to reject Him, the offer is withdrawn and, at death, there are no more chances (Hebrews 9:27). Therefore, let’s not waste the chances.
Prayer: Dear Father, I thank you for such great love and patience with me. I know that I have neglected so many everyday issues, but I ask you to help me persist in trusting you and overcoming all obstacles. I want to continue looking only at you and I ask you to strengthen me more and more because I know that I can’t do it alone. I pray in the name of Jesus, amen.
