Part Three: Let’s Return to Our Knees

Fresh Manna 2009© by Pastor Tim Burt

Albert Einstein said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” George Bernard Shaw said, “If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience.”

Both of these quotes reflect that people make the same mistakes over and over and yet don’t change what they are doing, but expect different results. There could be a litany of reasons why people do this. Maybe they look back to an earlier time when what they were doing was as success and they keep hoping that it will work again if they hang in there. Maybe they don’t know what to do so they keep doing the same thing with some artificial hope that the results will change. Cameras with film was the way of photography and very successful for a very long time. But those that held on to that process—either because they were afraid of venturing into something new that they did not understand and had no knowledge and wisdom in, and hoping success with film would return ended up in great trouble. Technology brought digital and it would lead to more pictures being taken exponentially than ever before—but not in the same way as in the past.

When two people are having relational problems and keep repeating the same mistakes over and over, yet hope for different results—that things will work out—they will ultimately be disappointed. When inevitable change within a company is needed in order to keep pace with the changes in culture and technology and you fight that change rather than grow through it, you’ll be disappointed.

When change is brought upon you through outside circumstances such as changes in laws, policies, or forces that are greater than you can control and yet you resist that inevitable change because you are upset with it rather than learn to deal with it, you’ll be disappointed.

Change and the pain and fear over change that you cannot control and that you do not know where it’s leading can cause sleepless nights and attacks of anxiety. You may lay awake replaying negative thoughts through your mind. Yet the two quotes revealed a truth. Change is often necessary and being demanded and at that time, we can’t keep doing the same thing. You aren’t still driving a Model T and the speed limits have accordingly increased.

Most of the anxieties we face we face because we don’t know what to do. That is the biggest change we’ve needed to make—acknowledging we don’t know what to do. We never know for sure what to do. We only think we do. We need to make the change of returning to our knees and make that the one thing we never change. Quit trying to control your life. Go ahead and think through things and make plans because that is part of life. But before you do any of that, return to your knees in sincerity and pray it through with the Lord as instructed in Philip. 4:6-7. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Quit fighting people or things in your mind. Quit trying to do the same thing that is not working— at least in exactly the same way. Pray in faith asking and believing the Lord will show you the new way to work things out. On your knees is where the Lord can lead you into the new way with new results.