Recounting the Missed Chance

Deuteronomy 1:31-42         1/15/2018

Moses recounted how the children of Israel refused to enter the Promised Land. He reviewed how, as a result of their disobedience, God had ordered them to return to the wilderness. Once they realized the consequences of the disobedience, they attempted to enter the Promised Land – following the original command of the Lord.

God warned them through Moses not to engage, but they went anyway. Without God’s leadership and support, the men who went to fight were beaten badly. The survivors from the battle returned to the camp.

Window of Opportunity

It’s possible to be too late with God. For anyone whose missed His calling, or refused to follow God’s clear will for their life, this is a frightening thought. If you know that God has, at some point in your life, wanted you to do something and you refused – then you know what I mean.

But “too late with God” doesn’t mean reprobate (beyond God’s healing power of redemption). It means that you’ve blown this particular opportunity. You chose against what you knew God wanted you to do. Maybe you were responding out of selfishness or fear or anger or even spite – it doesn’t actually matter. But, once a window of opportunity closes, it closes.

Peter missed the opportunity to own Jesus as His Lord and Savior in the early hours of the morning, sitting by a fire, hoping not to be recognized because of fear. Thomas missed the opportunity to believe the reports about Jesus’ resurrection because of incredulity. Jonah refused the opportunity to offer a warning prophecy to Ninevah because of spite. None of them ever got the original opportunity back again.

Closed Window is Never the End of the Story

It’s like suddenly realizing you held the winning ticket for a multi-million dollar lottery one day after the claim date. You lost the prize. There’s going to be some grief. There’s going to be some sadness. There’s going to be some wishing you could go back in time.

But then you process the grief and you move forward with your life. The grief could ruin you – but it probably won’t.

It’s the same with God. You missed it. You re-engage. You learn to follow closer next time.

Peter was forgiven and became the foundation for the church. Thomas was eventually persuaded and evangelized India. Jonah was confronted and ending up catalyzing the repentance of Ninevah.

It’s not over until there’s no more breath in my lungs. Yes, I’ve all fallen far short of the glory of God. But, I’ve also been redeemed.

So now it’s time to get back in the game. If the window is still open, then squeeze through the crack. But if the window is closed, then it’s time to start looking for the next window of opportunity.

“Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord.” Eph 5:17