Deuteronomy 3:23 & 25-26 At that time I pleaded with the Lord. Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan—that fine hill country and Lebanon. But the Lord was angry with me because of you, and he would not listen to me. ‘That’s enough!’ he declared. ‘Speak of it no more.”
“Never look back and regret, look back and smile at what you have learned.”
Regret is a waste of energy and time. It changes nothing. Regret cannot fix or undo the broken past. Revisiting a loss, mistake or blunder will drain our mental energy. Regret causes stress and stress breaks the ‘motivation domain’ by consuming huge amounts of energy. Those who run regretting and looking back at the pit of the past will fall into another pothole.
Moses, the greatest pastor and leader of the Old Testament, dishonoured the Lord under pressure. The people were infuriated and accosted Moses angrily as there was no water in the desert. Moses lost his patience under the pump and instead of speaking to the rock as the Lord directed him, he struck it twice! Moses and Aaron received a private instruction from the Lord in the tabernacle to speak to the rock. Yet, Moses dishonoured the Lord by distrusting and disobeying Him publicly. The congregation was not even aware that he violated the divine mandate; it was a secret sin. The people were overjoyed when the water gushed out of the rocks, yet, the Lord was displeased. Moses went to the Lord and pleaded for forgiveness but the Lord declined his request. Several centuries later, the disappointment of Moses was turned into a pleasant surprise when Moses and Elijah were commanded to go and visit Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:3); the feet of Moses finally landed in the Promised Land.
Don’t crib over disappointments. In God’s economy, a worldly loss turns into a superior surprise.
Divine Disappointments or Superior Surprises:
1. Regret: Brooding over the spilt milk will not bring it back. Don’t live in the regret of the past. Loss makes room for a bigger and better blessing. Leave the missed opportunities and failures into the hands of the Maker. He is still in the business of making something out of nothing. He will take the ashes and transform them into beauty.
2. Repent: Regret doesn’t change a thing but repentance will replace divine disappointments with benevolent blessings. Moses stepped into the Promised Land as the messenger of heavens centuries later. He was denied access as a pastor but he went in as a divine delegate.
3. Replace: We serve a compassionate, kind and loving God who does not leave us deprived and destitute. He will replace our disappointments with magnificent and marvelous blessings.
Let go of the past regrets – God has superior surprises.
Matthew 17:3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
Prayer: Dearest Lord Jesus, the regrets of the past, my silly mistakes and erroneous stupor come back to haunt me but I surrender my ashes into your hands. Turn my ashes into beauty. Amen
Leave a Reply