Mayan Ruins of Chacchoben

We recently went on a Disney cruise.  One of the places we went was to the Mayan Ruins of Chacchoben not far from Costa Maya, Mexico.    This ancient Mayan city was huge, and we had so much fun walking around it.  That is why my children are smiling in the picture.  But as I was walking around the ruins of this ancient city, I tried to imagine how one of the ancient Mayans would have felt seeing their city now in ruins.  Imagine

if one of the ancient Mayans who had built that city had been transported by a time machine into the future; what would that be like for them?   I believe that if they saw the remains of this once great city, they would cry because all they would see would be the broken building, temples, and pyramids.  Their once great city is now just ruins.  Imagine coming home from a trip to find your house broken and in ruins.  It would be a test of faith.  Isaiah prophesied about moments like that, in which God’s people were too busy focusing on the ruins of their city to even notice the wonderful things God was doing for them.  In Isaiah 52:9 the people were not only described as living in the ruins but they themselves were actually called ruins.

 

“8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy.
       When the LORD returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes.

 9 Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.

 10 The LORD will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.”  Isaiah 52:8-10 NIV

 

Even though the people are called ruins in Isaiah 52:9, they are called not to weep but to rejoice on the rebuilding power of God.  The prophecy of Isaiah 52 is not one of destruction but one of redemption and comfort.  God can take that which has been broken and rebuild it into something greater.  That is what God does for us through Jesus.  Through Him, we are no longer broken ruins.  We are rebuilt into the image of Christ with the full power of God working for our good.  So don’t dwell on the brokenness (the ruins) of your past.  That will only bring sorrow and hopelessness.  Instead focus your attention on the one who builds you up who with His mighty power transforms us into people who overcome our past and praise Him always for the victory found in Christ Jesus.  -Vic