21 The king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah went into exile out of its land. – 2 Kings 25:21

Always, we begin again.

In some ways, this is quite the appropriate place to begin anew with these Think, Pray, Do devotionals. Scripture finds much of its origin here, in this story of desolation and destruction. From the prophets track in my Bible reading plan, we pause to consider this story from the end of 2 Kings, learning about the sacking of Jerusalem, 2 Kings 24:18-25:21.

I begin again with these devotionals, published Monday through Friday each week, you begin again reading them (or maybe for the first time), and in this passage from 2 Kings, the people of God face a new beginning. 

They did not choose this beginning. They sacking of Jerusalem forms the bulk of this passage. They have lost their homes, watched the Babylonians burn down all their possessions and loot their belongings; they have literally lost everything. Now, they will follow this army as it goes to Babylon, living there for the next several decades. 

This should have been the end of the story. But the people said, always, we begin again. They wrote down their traditions, to preserve them. We call those books Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. They wrote down their liturgies, what we call the Psalms, among other books. They wrote down their wisdom, like Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. They gave us much of the Old Testament as we know it. From the desolation and destruction they knew came new life. 

The benedictine monks gave us the phrase, always, we begin again. It reflects the nature of life. Interruptions come, sometimes mild, sometimes dramatic like here in 2 Kings, but always they are opportunities to begin again, seeing how God births new life into the troubles we know. 

2 Kings should have been the end of the story, a story lost to history. But it wasn’t, because rather than be defeated, the people said to themselves, always, we begin again.

Think

Today, think about where in your past you have had to begin again. What was that like? How did you see God bless you through it?

Pray

Thank God for those moments and ask God for faith to see you through present hardships. 

Do

Where do you need to begin again today? Write that down and take a step toward that new beginning.

Think, Pray, Do. As we respond in faith to scripture, God moves in power through our minds, hearts, and bodies. We are the people of God. Thanks for reading today. Go in peace. Amen.

Think, Pray, Do devotionals by Ted Goshorn follow the suggested Bible reading plan from his website and book, Prayer Changes Us. Find this Bible reading plan at tedgoshorn.org/biblereading. If you have found today’s devotion helpful, don’t forget to subscribe for daily emails at tedgoshorn.org and share with others that we may think, pray, and do faithfully.