Buckle In ‘Cos It’s Going To Be A Long One

These conversations are never short and so Simon just needs to get comfortable because he knows he’ll be there a while.

2 Peter 3:1-18

Reference: v.2  I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Saviour through your apostles. (NIV Bible)

Explore: I was chatting to Simon, a mate of mine, the other day who was telling me about his grandparents.  His grandfather on one side is very opinionated.  Simon was saying that you can try to have a good conversation with him but really he only believes in his point of view.  So in the end, even if he totally disagreed, Simon would put an end to the heated conversation by just saying, “Yep, Grandpa, that’s right, you’re correct” and hope to never bring that topic up again.  Simon’s grandfather one the other side, however, is not as opinionated but loves to tell many stories from the past.  They may not necessarily all be on the same topic but he will share them all in the one sitting any way.  Simon’s strategy when conversing with this grandfather is: ‘Buckle in ‘cos it’s going to be a long one.’  These conversations are never short and so Simon just needs to get comfortable because he knows he’ll be there a while.
As I listened to Simon tell me about his grandfathers, even though he was joking around about their ‘interesting’ conversations, I could tell that he really appreciated them.  Having grown up without knowing either of my grandparents, I could see that Simon was better off from knowing his.  And although they were set in their particular ways, he had learnt from them both.

Application: Our world today is so focused on the future.  We are always planning ahead to the next best thing.  However, just like Simon’s grandfathers, the Bible reminds us that it is important to look back and learn from our past.  The wisdom and the insight that others have received from God can help us in our relationship with Him too.  The more we read of the people in the Bible and how God interacted with them, we can see how God impacts our lives also.  If we question God’s strength we can look to the parting of the Red Sea; if we can’t hear God’s voice we can look to Him whispering to Elijah; if we’re not sure of our purpose we can look to the Great Commission; if we are deep in despair we can look to the Psalms…  We have a great history that spans thousands of years.  And while you may fear the idea of a long history lesson sometimes it’s good to buckle in because we can learn so much about God from His interaction with his faithful followers throughout the ages.

Prayer: Lord, we desire to know more of You.  May we be willing to put in the hard yards so that we understand Your call for our lives.  Amen.

What have you learnt from the past?  How does that help you address your present situation?

2 Peter