Always a Way Back

I seem to be showing that I have some knowledge in Greek Mythology lately. Have you heard of the wise Theseus, hero of Athens, and his adventure into a labyrinth? Brave Theseus, entered the labyrinth built by King Minos of Crete to house the great and dangerous minotaur. A minotaur is half man and half bull. This labyrinth was built in such an ingenious way that anyone who entered would never find they way out again, and eventually fell prey to the wandering minotaur. The maze was so difficult, that some believed that the paths rearranged themselves once you entered so that you would never escape. Theseus went it, trailing behind him string that had been given to him. To make a long myth short, he slew the minotaur and followed the string back.

Have you ever read the Mark Twain Classic, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer? I havn't, but I have watched the movie. Remember Becky Thatcher and Tom Sawyer lost in the cave? Well incase you havn't, Tom takes his favorite girl Becky on a picnic to McDougal cave. They come across Injun Joe who was on the run as a convicted criminal. Tom and Becky go further into the cave to get away but get lost! They run out of food and candles, but eventually Tom finds a way out.

There are times where we seem to get lost and can't find our way back to the Lord. We might feel like a Theseus that forgot the string, or like Tom and Becky lost and thinking there is no hope. The amazing thing is that if Christ is your Saviour, there's always a way back.

Think about the parable of the lost sheep. Even though the master has 99 sheep, he still wants that one sheep back. The Shepherd goes and finds the sheep and full of joy returns it to the fold. (Luke 15:3-7)

Last night I was reading in Isaiah, and a phrase caught my attention in 5:25 that occurs also in 9:12, 17, 21; 10:4, "For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still." What a blessed thought this is. The Lord has just denounced woe upon Israel for their unfaithfulness, and yet He is offering a way back.

This reminded me of a verse I read earlier in the day, "Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts" (Zechariah 1:3). Here again, the Lord has sent a message to the people who will be rebuilding Jerusalem. Zechariah was sent to be an encouragment. The 70 years of captivity had been up, Artaxerxes had decreed the city of Jerusalem to be rebuilt, but the people we're discouraged since Isaiah and Jeremiah's prophecies had yet to materialize. The Lord gives them hope.

Notice the order in the verse, first it says, "Turn ye unto me." The first step has to be ours. The Lord always keeps his promises, even if we break our end of the deal (See how the Lord will spare a remnant in Israel for Millennium and Kingdom blessings though they broke their end of the covenant). Our great blessing is that our testament is based on the work of the Lord Jesus Christ: Finished and complete. We need to turn back to the Lord, than He will turn unto us.

Often we may get discouraged. Down a path that has led us into sin. Perhaps it's just that we aren't growing anymore as a Christian. Be of good cheer, there is a way back. "Turn ye unto Him," and "His hand is stretched out still." If you look for the way out you can find your path out like Tom and Becky by following the light. You can be like Theseus and follow the string back out of the seemingly inescapable labrynth; though prayer, confession, and reading the word of God. Let the Shepherd rejoice today as He will say, "Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost." (Luke 3:6).