Jail Promises

And David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven, and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. 1 Chronicles 21:16

While incarcerated and hoping to get out of jail, most inmates are highly motivated to change. They promise the judge and their probation officer that they’ll go to treatment and transform everything about their lives. And I think they mean it. They’re in a miserable situation and they can clearly see the connection between their self-destructive behavior and their pain. They truly want their lives to be different, and they want to convince others that it will be. When they get out however, and the discomfort of jail is removed, the motivation to change seems to dwindle. They go back to their old living environment, which is far more comfortable than incarceration, and soon, their back at all their old behaviors.

It is often only while experiencing the painful consequences of our self-destructive behaviors, that we are motivated to change. This is illustrated in today’s passage, which tells of an angel sent by God to punish Israel and King David for their pride and self-reliance. When David and all the elders saw the angel, with his sword stretched out over Jerusalem, they were immediately penitent. With the threat of God’s wrath hanging over their heads, they promised obedience. This later became a pattern for Israel though. When God disciplined his people, they followed him. When God removed the discipline, they returned to following themselves.

I’ve been there. When threatened with loss of career and family, I’ve promised radical change. Then, when the threat passes and life returns to normal, I’ve gone back to my old behaviors. Most of us are motivated to change when we’re hurting and for most of us the motivation fades when life returns to normal. So, the challenge for me, is to daily point my life at God, following his way instead of mine, particularly when things are going well, because that’s when I’m most tempted to return to the old life.