Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 29-31; John 18:1-23
“Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us.”- 2 Chronicles 29:10
This verse is the statement of Hezekiah the king of Judah describing his desire and choice to cleanse the temple and restores rightful worship of God that was neglected by his fathers to bring reform and revival to Judah. King Hezekiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and God turn His wrath from the kingdom of Judah.
Too often in our world today we tend to forget God, and neglect Him while trying to catch up with the cares of life. This makes us vulnerable and so easy to lose our foundation in God. If we lose our way or go astray from God, our lives will not go as well as we hope. The same happened to the people of Judah when they went astray and follow their leaders to worship other god’s. “For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord, and turned their backs. Wherefore the wrath of the Lord was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes. For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this.” – 2 Chronicles 29:8-9
God is always reaching out for us, But if we turn our backs on Him, the world will lead us astray instead and we will lose faith and hope in God, our jobs might fail and we might not be as sensitive to God’s word and motivated to do what is right.
In life there are challenges and temptation that comes our way to make us lose faith in God. It can be hard to praise God when we are going through some hard time, and we ask, “Why would God let that happen to me?” But if we can always remember God’s promises in the scriptures and have faith in our loving Father. He will always deliver us as He did for King Hezekiah and his kingdom. If you have forsaken God and stray away, return back to Him. He is ever waiting for you! Remember the parable Jesus told of the Prodigal Son, our relationship with God is like the relationship between the son and his father. It’s easy for us to think that we are not worthy of our God’s mercy. Don’t forget that no matter what we do or where we go God will always accept us back. Don’t forget that Jesus died on the cross so you could be saved from your sins! Don’t be afraid to knock on His door to commit your life to Him. When you do He will open it wide and welcome you in with open arms.
If you feel like you have strayed away from God because of other activities you are engaged in. Look for a bible believing Church and commit to fellowship with the brethren. Challenge yourself and set out time to study your Bible each day and pray to God when you wake up and before you go to bed. So that your heart and mind will stay on God’s will in His word to keep an ever growing faith in God “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” – Romans 10:17
Prayer: Father, grant me the grace to worship and continually seek your word daily in building my faith to serve you.
Pastor Alfred Samuel