Will we never learn?

Will those who do evil never learn? They eat up my people like bread and wouldn’t think of praying to the Lord. Terror will grip them, for God is with those who obey him. The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed, but the Lord will protect his people. (Psalm 14:4-6 NLT)

If you have ever encountered someone who just never seems to learn from their life lessons, you might have asked if they will never learn. Sometimes it takes what seems like forever for them to turn around and realize the direction they chose for their life was pretty bad. On more than one occasion, I have looked at my own life choices and said to myself, "There but for the grace of God go I." The grace of God pulled me away from those wrong paths - it is the one thing that separated me from my own foolish actions. How about you? Can you say that the grace of God has redeemed you from some stuff that wasn't all that good for you?

God is with those who obey him. These aren't just words on a page. They are truth made alive in those who determine in their hearts that they will no longer serve two masters - sin and righteousness. They choose the pathway of grace, bound and determined to live by the standards God lays out in his Word. God protects those who choose to follow in his footsteps. We might not always feel like all the 'foolishness' in this world will end, but we can live protected within it when we choose to obey him. The foolishness of evil people will still exist, but our choice to remain faithful to his commands will keep us protected, assured, and on track.

The Lord will always protect his people. It isn't a hit or miss kind of thing. His protection is both spiritual and physical in nature. He will send his heavenly forces to fight for us, while he keeps us close to his heart, feeling his heartbeat and leaning into his strength. The wicked might attempt to frustrate the plans of the godly, but they will not be able to derail what God has set in motion. There is no force big enough to stand in the way of God's armies, nor is there any power capable of uprooting those who have been 'planted' with roots going deeper and deeper into his grace each day.

Coming back to our opening question. Will they never learn? God's hope is that they will see that their foolishness and evil plans will never really 'pan out'. When they do, they can count on the grace of God to embrace them. Will we never learn? That life lesson that has been the hardest for us to learn isn't going to defeat the one whose heart is determined to follow him. It might take us a bit to let go of whatever it is we are afraid to release, but when we finally do, his grace is sufficient to walk us back home again. Just sayin!