The Lord Changing His Mind

 I have to change my mind quite a bit. I get in a hurry and make a hasty decision. Then, later I see that what I thought was right was wrong, so I have to change my mind. Other times I may do something out of a misunderstanding of the facts. Then, I have to admit my mistake and change my mind. I think these things happen to most of us. However, it doesn't happen that way with God. He never gets in a hurry, and He never misunderstands anything. However, He does change His mind, at times.

Jeremiah was trying to warn the people that God was going to destroy them and Jerusalem. The people were about to kill Jeremiah when some of the leaders spoke up. They gave an example of what the people needed to do. (Jeremiah 26:19) "But did King Hezekiah and the people kill him (Micah) for saying this? No, they turned from their sins and worshiped the Lord. They begged Him for mercy. Then, the Lord changed His mind about the terrible disaster He had pronounced against them. So we are about to do ourselves great harm." I pray we can all learn this lesson well.

When God makes a decision, and He makes a declaration about what He is going to do, He never fails to carry it out if the conditions upon which He based His decision stay the same. God makes righteous decisions. He decides to bless those who practice righteousness, but He punishes those who practice sin. If He decides to pour out a blessing on the righteous, but they turn to sin, He changes His mind about sending the blessing.. God did not change, the conditions changed. He still felt the same way about blessing the righteous but they were no longer righteous.

The opposite is also true. If God pronounces judgment on a sinful person or group of people, He can and will change His mind if they turn from their sin and plead for mercy. The condition changes, so God changes His mind and takes away his punishment. We need to learn this lesson. It is never too late to repent of sin and turn to God, so that He can change His mind and bless us instead of judging us. Please, don't be stubborn like the people in Jeremiah's day. Be like Hezekiah and the people of his day.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 29-31.