by Alan Langstaff

Life is not just a straight line. It is not a fairy tale when people “live happily ever after”. Rather life is often ups and downs, successes and failures, victories and defeats. These are the times when we need to pick ourselves up, by the grace of God, and begin again. Let’s look at some examples of beginning again.

AN OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE

Abraham is known as the “father of faith”. In response to the call of God on his life as recorded in Genesis chapter 12 he goes into the land of Israel. He came to Shechem where the Lord appeared to him saying “to your descendants, I will give this land.” It was here that Abraham built an altar to the Lord. He moved on to Bethel and near Ai he built another altar to the Lord as he continued his journey toward the south.

Now, there was a famine in the land. So Abraham went down to Egypt. Now without going into all the details Abraham, to protect himself, passed off his beautiful wife Sarah as his sister. In turn, Sarah ended up in Pharaoh’s house. Pharaoh in turn generously blessed Abraham with sheep, oxen, donkeys, camels, etc. But God sent plagues on Pharaoh’s house because of Sarah. Pharaoh called Abraham and rebuked him saying, “What is this you have done to me” referring to Abraham passing Sarah off as his sister. In turn, Pharaoh sent Abraham on his way with Sarah and all he had received.

So Abraham came back to Canaan. At this time he was very rich and he journeyed to the South and came to a place near Bethel and Ai to where he had built an altar that he had made at the first. And there he cried out to the Lord. He had come back to the first place where he had made an altar and he had come back “to the place of beginning again.”

There are such times in one’s life when we have to come back “to the place of beginning again” to receive his forgiveness for the sins we have committed, to consecrate ourselves afresh to the Lord who has called up unto Himself.

God’s word makes it clear what we are to do in times like this. 1 John 1:9 (NKJV) states “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Therefore as soon as we are aware that we have sinned we need to come to Jesus and seek His forgiveness.

Someone has said “We need to keep short accounts with God. We don’t have to save a list of sins and come to church on Sunday to find forgiveness.”

We need to come back to the place of beginning again and there seek forgiveness and consecrate ourselves a fresh to God.

NEW ADVENTURES BEGINNING AGAIN

But there is another way of “beginning again.” It is those times in our lives when God opens up a new chapter in our lives. The call to a new adventure of faith. Often they come in unexpected ways and times. Take Nehemiah for example.

He was in a comfortable place as the King’s cupbearer. Then some brethren came from Jerusalem to tell him the conditions of the people in Jerusalem. The survivors of the captivity that still remain are in great distress. The walls of the city of Jerusalem are broken down and their gates are burned with fire.

Nehemiah’s first reaction was to weep and to mourn for many days and then he began to fast and pray over many days. Out of it all came a call, a vision to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

He had been brought by God to a place of beginning again, to leave his position as the King’s cupbearer and to move back to Jerusalem and somehow by the grace of God to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

It was no small task that he was called to do. But this makes a new beginning for Nehemiah that he had not expected.

WHAT ABOUT US TODAY

Have we been like Abraham, protecting ourselves, lying – be it big or small – and committing sin? Will we need to come to “the place of beginning again” in the words of 1 John 1 we need to confess our sins and receive His cleansing forgiveness as we are made whole again?

There are many moments in our lives both big and small where we have to “come to ourselves” like the prodigal son and return to God and the place of beginning again.

So let us do that whenever we become conscious of our sin and failure, return to the Lord, and rededicate ourselves to Him.

And it also applies to us when God calls us to a new beginning.

God can do the same thing today in people’s life. Just when everything is in place and life seems successful. God comes along and disturbs it all and plants a new dream, a new idea, a new vision in our minds and in our spirits. It may be to give up a career in business and enter some field of ministry. It may mean moving to a new location, even far away. It may mean sacrifices have to be made. It may be a loss of income and material possessions.

There are many ways that God breaks into our lives and calls us to new adventures. It may mean that when you retire God has a new task for you to undertake.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCES

As I am now 90 years of age, I look back on all the various chapters of my life and my life with Dorothy, my wife. I am conscious of the times when I have come to the place of beginning again.

I remember back in Australia when God dealt with me that I had become so caught up in ministry, travel, and running a growing organization that I had begun to neglect my wife and family. I can still remember the time when God brought me to see what I was doing. He took me to the woodshed so to speak. I needed to repent not only to God but also to ask forgiveness from my wife. But I had to do more than that. I had to rebuild my life and my commitment to my wife particularly, though she never complained. That involved, amongst other things, reorganizing my life and ministry. I cut down the times when I would be away. I carved out time for my wife and family.

I came to the place of beginning again.

But there is the more positive aspect of God’s call to begin again. Back in 1979-1980 just after we had our most successful conference in Australia. “Jesus 79” conference with 15 to 20 thousand people present God began to stir up the nest.

He spoke to my wife Dorothy before He spoke to me and told her we would be living under the American flag and that we would be moving to another part of the world. You can read all about it in her book “Called Together.”

It wasn’t until early 1980, while on a trip to America that God spoke when I was ministering at a leadership conference at North Heights Lutheran Church in St Paul, Minnesota and He told me I was to give the ministry to another and move to America. This we did within about 4 months and our life has never been the same again.

These are the special times that I call “kairos times”, when God breaks into our lives and calls us to make a “new beginning”. Who knows maybe He is calling you to make a new beginning, big or small. Make it a time for a new beginning to follow the Lord wherever He leads you.