Turning points will come in our lives, and if we will let them they will send us to God. They come in all sorts of sizes and ways. It may be the joy of getting married or having a baby. Those are joyous turning points. It also may be a tragedy that is our turning point. For those who are saved the greatest turning point was the day of our salvation. If it wasn’t then, you did not experience salvation.
II Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Many people say a prayer and feel a sense of relief as they pour their heart out to God, but they never experience change. Without turning away from sin and turning to God, there is no salvation. After salvation, we will have many turning points that should send us to our knees and make us more dependent on God.
Turning points come when we have choices to make. We must turn from something to something.
Some who faced extreme turning points in scripture are examples to us. One that comes to mind is Mary the mother of Jesus. She wasn’t ready to become a mother. She was planning her wedding. She was betrothed or engaged to Joseph. She was probably a teen when the angel came to visit her. She would humbly question the angel – how can this be?
Luke 1:33-34 “And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom, there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?”
Mary didn’t understand, but in verse 38 she declared, “be it unto me according to your word.” In other words, Lord whatever your will is I am ready and willing. Not understanding had no effect on her obedience. She understood she was chosen by God for this task, but you are also chosen by God for whatever the change is in your life.
Luke 1:38 “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.”
It wasn’t any easier for her than it would be for us. As a matter of fact, it would probably be harder. She lived in a culture where immorality was a disgrace and fornication would be punished. When a woman gets pregnant out of wedlock we act as if it’s no big deal. Mary would also experience the pain of watching her son die as an innocent man. Through all of this, she trusted the wisdom and knowledge of her God.
What about Daniel? He was a very trusted and loyal President in the kingdom, but he came to a turning point in his life also. Would he stand for God or would he allow fear to cause him to bow to a false god?
The king preferred Daniel over the other presidents and they became jealous. In the rest of chapter 6, you can read how Daniel was challenged, and the King was tricked into putting Daniel in the lion’s den. The turning point was when he chose to pray to God instead of bowing to the image. He knew there was the possibility of death, but he trusted God to work on his behalf. The first thing he did after the decree was made was to go to his room, open his windows toward Jerusalem, and pray. This was the act that he was not supposed to do. He was to show allegiance only to the king; however, it didn’t change him.
Daniel 6:2-3 “And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage. Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.”
What does it take to keep you silent about God? What has been your turning point in your spiritual life? Are you willing to follow Christ no matter what the cost? Do you fully trust God’s decisions for your life, enough that you will face ridicule from others, hatred from associates, or possible death because you chose to follow Christ? Have you faced a time where you had to trust God and God alone? We will all have them at some point in our lives and it is important that we determine now how we will react. We need to resolve to trust God’s wisdom and his ultimate control.
