After Repeatedly Rejecting God

“They looked, but there was none to save; even to the Lord, but he did not answer them.” 2 Samuel 22:42 He did not answer them… How do we reconcile the great mercy of God versus his refusal to hear someone? In this passage, they realized they were done in - so in panic they turned to the Lord …but he did not answer. When a person has chosen to walk in darkness, in pleasure, in the insistence on “doing it my way,” there will come a time when irreversible judgment falls upon him, and it can be very severe. At that point, they may turn to the Lord in panic. Will he hear them? Maybe not. It depends …on repentance. The exact opposite of repentance is the statement, “I’m going to do it my way!” In other words, "I am my own lord!" When a person chooses to reject God so that he can run his life himself and achieve what he desires no matter what he has to do to achieve it, how can he think he’ll turn to God when judgment falls? It simply doesn’t work that way. “He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will SUDDENLY be destroyed, and that without remedy.” Proverbs 29:1 But, you might say, when some reach the bottom, when they come to the end of themselves, some repent. Yes, the thief on the cross repented and was saved that very day. It all depends on the attitude. The thief on the cross admitted his sin and he acknowledged the justice in the penalty. In HUMILITY he turned to Jesus and the Lord received him. But what a terrible chance a person takes when thinking he’ll repent “someday.” This attitude rejects God for now, and insists on its own way. If in his own way he expects to turn around “someday,” it won’t work. You can’t walk out your life in self-will and defiance and then think you’ll go with Jesus when you die. To the one holding this attitude, the words he’ll say to God when he needs him …will fall on deaf ears. “One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.” Proverbs 28:9 The words, “I’ll do it my way,” are the epitome of foolishness. It’s the insistence that one will run his own life with the determination that no one is going to interfere with that, not even God. This is the attitude of the reprobate mind. It’s not going to repent. It instead becomes hardened, seared as with a hot iron (1st Timothy 4:3). Folks, it’s just not worth it. When you insist on your way, that attitude expresses the belief that your wisdom is greater than the wisdom of almighty God who created you. His Word throughout tells us that that is the way to hell. When the unrepentant sinner comes to the end of his life, he will find that his own wisdom that led him there is no match for the wisdom of the God he could have surrendered to. And then he will spend eternity …in deep regret. Imagine - regret …for all eternity. On the other hand, surrendering to God and to his Word is the narrow way that leads to eternal life. When a person surrenders to the Lord, a story begins in bringing that person to be the person he was created to be. God has created each one unique, as unique as your fingerprints, as unique as your DNA. He has a unique, personalized plan for you with the purpose of bringing you to the fulfillment and the joy found in maturity. No matter how terrible your past, the story of your recovery can begin today. It will be a great journey as the Lord brings situations into and out of your life as he molds you into that person you were created to be. You may have messed up your life completely, but upon repentance a whole new story begins. Your life may have been destroyed, but that can all change when you surrender to the giver of life. “The thief (Satan) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10