One More Time
Exodus 10:17
"Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only."
When my daughter was younger, she and I would often enjoy playing together. There were times when she would stand on the stairs in our house and jump into my arms, then after doing it several times I would tell her I was going to stop. She always responded, "One more time, daddy." I can remember throwing her up in the air just a bit, of course to her it seemed like she was flying, to have her fall right back into my arms that were ready to catch her. When I was tired and ready to quit, she would always say, "One more time, daddy." She knew that I had done it enough and that I was tired of the activity, but she knew that she could get me to do it one more time if she asked.
God is much the same way with His children. There are many areas in our lives in which we have challenged God's patience to the point that He is finished with us in that area; however, God is also a forgiving God Who is willing to try and help us one more time. Three times in the Scriptures I find where people asked God to do something one more time.
In the verse above, Pharaoh asked God to forgive him one more time. Over and over again God gave Pharaoh another chance only to see him squander that opportunity and harden his neck again. When Pharaoh faced the threat of locusts destroying their harvest, he asked God to forgive him one more time.
Christian, you may have sinned several times and think that God would never forgive you, but I am challenging you to ask God to forgive you one more time. You may have tried to overcome that sin a hundred times, but you need to try one more time. You may think that God is done helping you, but you can always ask God to help you one more time.
Psalm 85:6 asks, "Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?" Yes, God can revive you one more time. Yes, God can revive your nation one more time. Certainly, God has worked through you in the past, but you can ask Him to work through you one more time. Maybe God worked through your church in the past in a great way, but you need to ask Him to give you one more revival in your church. Maybe you live in a nation where God has revived that nation many times. Maybe that nation has fallen away from God and is in great sin. Ask God to revive your nation one more time.
Samson asked God in Judges 16:28, "...Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once,..." You may feel that God would not empower you again, but let me challenge you to ask Him to fill you with His power one more time. Don't worry about God empowering you for the rest of your life, but ask Him to empower you one more time.
Let me caution you about this truth by reminding you there came a time when my daughter asked me to do something one more time, and I wouldn't do it. Christian, don't take God's mercy for granted. God doesn't have to do something one more time and He may stop, so don't challenge it. Sure, keep on asking God to do these things one more time, but that one more time may stop when He gets tired of you returning to your old ways. If God does something for you one more time, then reward God by doing right after He showed you His mercy.