Sequel Success

2 Samuel 5:22-23

“Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of the Lord, and he answered, ‘Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army’.”

In movies, sequels have been quite a fad. Creators bank on an already popular and established material with high hopes to overshoot the original, box-office reception. Some did justice to our expectations, while others... didn’t. According to MSN’s list of how to avoid franchise meltdown, one major don’t is to simply remake the first film. It’s a nagging feeling to hear the same lines and see similar plots, like I guess what they did to Legally Blonde 2.  Another don’t is not to keep the primary cast. I remember my uneasiness not seeing Rachel Weisz alongside Brendan Fraser in The Mummy 3. I hope they’ll not regret excluding Keira Knightly and Orlando Bloom on the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean. Well at least they know better than pull out Johnny Depp as well. Ever heard a pirate film without THE pirate?

When the Philistines dared a sequel attack to their failed, first try, it was a full remake. They did the same spread out position and chose the same location, Rephaim Valley. We’re they hoping for an alternate ending? Seriously?! As recipient of the challenge, David could have easily asked for the recently filed report folder and order a replay. Or at the most, say the first one was a great dry run and just pick up some loose crumbs for a perfect finish. But David chose a clean sheet of paper for his square one orders. Logic tells him to not to expect a new call. But logic too, plus obedience, spells new and now differently. He who gave God the freehand can expect far more cursives and strokes unimaginable to one submissive pencil. This sequel may have the same opening lines and same closing credits, but who’d expect a superb, surprising plot! Who would ever think the Lord of hosts will bring in His whole army to march frontline while David circle around behind the enemy? It’s not an everyday thing to fight alongside the heavenly armies, and David would have missed it if he succumbed to the idea of plain remake. I’m sure after that, he was hoping for a third installment, or perhaps a series :>

When days are as predictable as the morning sunrise and our lives manageable as usual, do we still pray for guidance and direction? When we’ve mastered our workloads and can do well even with our eyes closed, will help be unnecessary and God needless? No wonder some of us produce flop sequels. Our story is not moving because we’re stuck with our old, only memorized scripts, and worse, we thought we could do away without the Main Character. Let us not forget that life is a hit only because of God. Watch Him once and you’ll sure be hooked to the nth season. Never forgo one episode for a Friday night out or you might miss a pivotal highlight. Stay tuned. His series just keeps getting better :>