Read 2 Chronicles 32:1-8
If you were wondering whether King Hezekiah could do no wrong, what’s the answer now? Even under the pressure of attack or threat of one, the King was encouraging the rest of his followers to have faith in God. That’s a rather bold move from a faith standpoint. For Hezekiah, he seemed fearless because of his unfailing confidence in God’s provision. I’m not necessarily feeling fearless these days. Hezekiah gets it right!
In Hezekiah’s own words to encourage his people, he said this about the opposition. “He may have a great army, but they are merely men. We have the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles for us!” Can you imagine what it was like to have such words of faith coming from your ruling king? Imagine! And the uplifting message giving hope. We all face battles in our lives every day. How much different they look when we let Jesus lead us.
I attended a Christian rock concert with Phil Wickham and Brandon Heath. Thankfully I was able to watch a streamed version on replay living a long way from Denver, Colorado. Still powerful. One of my new favorite songs is “The Battle Belongs.” To see it live was fantastic (even if only on recording). The song’s lyrics would be especially grace-filled for those going through some sort of battle right now. If that’s you, do listen sometime.
Of course, because of Hezekiah’s great faith, he was able to rally the people behind him. It seems it was an “all hands on deck” kind of moment. To prepare for the possibility of attack, the king was employing a lot of people who would not normally be working. There was plenty of work to be done to get ready, especially considering all those projects were done using powerful, present-day equipment.
There’s plenty to do in the kingdom of God as well. Jesus has left us clues in his word about what those “projects” are. We are all called to do something to further the kingdom. Because my “pattern” has repeated over and over since I was seventeen years old, I know what God has called me to do. Write and work with kids. Two things that also bring me great joy. I didn’t expect God to stretch me to learn a new language and culture, too!
It’s like that for kingdom folk. We are all on fire with devotion to God and serving Him, and yet we sometimes shield ourselves from the world out of uncertainty. It’s all hands and deck for us, too. All of us have been gifted to serve the body of Christ, the kingdom of God on earth. Shouldn’t we be doing our part? What’s holding you back from giving just a little more?
King Hezekiah was a faithful leader. That was his strength and claim to fame. I’m sure his reputation as a man of God was helpful to many areas of his earthly kingdom. We don’t need to have that reputation yet. But we do need to be moving toward God on our faith journey. Acknowledging him in our lives. In what ways has God gifted you to share in the kingdom?
Let’s pray. LORD, I come humbly before you in worship. Thank you for several reminders today that the battle belongs to you. Sometimes I don’t even know what the battle is all about, but I find comfort knowing you’re right there beside me. Help me to have the same bold faith that Hezekiah did to stand against his foes and seem fearless because you were there. You’re the same One who won all those battles, performed all those miracles, and even made me. I am your humble servant. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
