Devo- Our Lives, As Seen in the Old Testament

I have found that reading parts of the Old Testament takes a lot of patience. Not only are names, numbers, and kingdoms sprinkled through seemingly every verse, God's people were downright forgetful, selfish, and stubborn. Especially after Joshua's death, the Israelites (the people of Judah particularly), spend generations after generations, king after king​, building up altars to foreign gods and tearing them down. When the land seemed to be "cleansed" of evil, the king's successor would welcome the gods back and build up the altars that had been torn down. These would eventually be destroyed again, only to be built back up the next generation. All the meanwhile, God was there trying to uphold His promise to David and rescue His lost people. After delivering those who humbled themselves from their enemies, the same people would forget their Lord and turn to idols again. This happens generation after generation and by the 20th time, I am still shocked and say in frustration "are you kidding me?" However, my attitude has turned from frustration to humbleness as I realized that this is probably God's reaction towards our own lives. He can break chains and free us from certain sins, but if we do not continue to follow His ways, we can easily forget Him despite everything that He has done for us and fall victim to the same sins that He freed us from. We may not physically build altars or worship idols, but there are plenty of idols that we build and worship within our hearts and within our minds. I find myself quicker to fill the empty spaces in my schedule with distraction and entertainment rather than stillness in God's presence. I hold on to my pride so much that any threat or attack on it decreases my sense of self worth. I allow things of this world take away from my joy in the Lord and build my hope on fickle things. The good news is that God is still fighting for us as he did with Israel and the people of Judah. He offers hope and restoration that nothing else in this world can provide, and none can oppose Him.