When something’s been compromised it’s most likely done with whatever its original intended use was. Have you ever had a crappy, sinking feeling overcome you after trying everything to repair or save something, maybe a treasured possession, and yet you still must decide that it’s been compromised?
We experienced that recently with our aquarium. No matter what we tried the soundness of the tank had weakened and it was no longer useful to hold water. It was compromised. We decommissioned it and paid it forward to some kids to use as a terrarium for their pet Boa Constrictor. 🐍
As we were setting up our new aquarium it was impressed in me that, “This is what I did for you because you were compromised too.”
“… For there is no distinction: for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:22e-23 – ESV
And as one of the fish I was moving into its new home struggled slightly to escape the net but then swam safely off into the clear water yonder my heart smiled at the thought of watching a micro-example of my Savior’s saving grace https://www.gotquestions.org/saving-grace.html.
“For man also knows not his time [of death] as the fishes
are taken in an evil net, and as the birds are caught in the snare,
so are the sons of men snared in an evil time when [calamity]
falls suddenly upon them.”
Ecclesiastes 9:12 – AMP
My thoughts have stayed on this throughout Holy Week, Easter, and into Pentecost. How just like every one of us Jesus was born into this sinful world. He was in the net but never caught. He was born a divine man through a compromised virgin yet Jesus Himself never compromised.
We humans, however, blew it almost from the start (Gen. 3) www.gotquestions.org/fall-affect-humanity.html. 🙄 And even though we sinned, God still protected us by placing “… the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Gen. 3:24.)
God protected us with soldiers who were on the ready to fight. When that understanding finally hit me, I saw the Lord in a whole new Light. It opened me up to trust in His protection, and I began to feel safe in the arms of Yahweh.
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not
worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
Romans 8:18 – ESV
As Christ followers, the Lord prepares each of us, individually and corporately as His Church – for anything and everything. Hand Him a seed of faith and He will grow it. 🌱Just as The Great I Am did for the Israelites, He will grab your attention and build your faith and trust in Him. He will free you from the net, change your surroundings, and lead you into the promised land.
“It so happened that after Pharaoh released the people, God didn’t
lead them by the road through the land of the Philistines, which
was the shortest route, for God thought, “If the people encounter war,
they’ll change their minds and go back to Egypt.” So God led the people
on the wilderness road, looping around to the Red Sea.
The Israelites left Egypt in military formation.”
Exodus 13:17-18 – The Message
God took the Israelites on a peaceful route through the desert. That sort of sounds like an oxymoron, but He wanted them to experience more of Him before experiencing more Pagan ways. They had just lived through the ten plagues and watched the calamity that the Lord brought upon Egypt and its people. Many Egyptians lost their livelihoods from damage to their land and property. Many died, especially during the tenth plague – while the Passover protected their Hebrew slaves. I imagine our brethren were awe inspired, scared, and they needed strengthening. 💪
After God’s people crossed through the Red Sea, they “… saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and believed in him and in his servant Moses.” (Exodus 14: 31.)
Israel sang a song to the Lord after that (Exodus 15:1-18) exalting God, “The LORD will reign forever and ever! (v. 18.)”
But we are fickle humans.
It only took into the second month of their exodus from slavery before the Israelites began to grumble (Exodus 16). I’ve sometimes wondered, “They grumbled to Moses and Aaron, but why didn’t they pray and ask God for their provision. It’s like the example set by Father Abraham went right out the window!” 😤
This all came to mind again while watching the news last night. Out of curiosity, I Googled® the “Israel-Hamas war” and about thirty-nine million results loaded in under a minute. The protests over the war brought about seventy-nine million results in about the same time. And prayer for the middle east came in last at about eighteen million.
Why is prayer such an afterthought? Has it been compromised?
Prayer isn’t referenced in Scripture until a couple of hundred years after the fall … after the murder of Cain … after the birth of Seth. The Bible tells us that it was after the birth of Adam and Eve’s grandson Enosh, “… At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD.” (Gensis 4:26.)
Why? The Bible doesn’t say anything special was going on at the time. 🤔
Well, I’m not a theologian by any educational claims, except that I study the Bible. I’ve learned that God’s Word explains itself, but often you must dig.
Could it be that because the Lord’s promised offspring (Genesis 3:15) hadn’t shown up yet, so the people finally prayed? We know that times were in decay because by the time of Noah (who came from the line of Seth, Genesis 5), God wanted “… to put an end to every creature, for the earth is filled with wickedness because of them; therefore I am going to destroy them along with the earth.” (Genesis 6:13.)
As the labor pains of nations and kingdoms rising against each other intensifies, our Christian call is to not compromise our faith walk https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-compromise.html and to bring others to a life changing relationship with Jesus.
He saved us from our net of compromise and He loves us too much to for us to live compromised!😊
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous,
that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh
but made alive in the spirit …”
1 Peter 3:18
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