the king of hearts

It's rather difficult of late
not to be bombarded by bureaucracy,
crowded by constant coverage of
political conventions,
polls and primaries,
debates and distractions.

But I realize we should be grateful
for a democratic government
in which we have a say.

For long ago,
many lands were ruled
by kings with absolute authority.

There was need to make promises
to citizens who had no say
as to who sat upon the throne.

All this fuss we make
over who to choose...
was simply non-existent.

When one king died,
another heir was standing in line
to immediately take his place.
And whoever sat upon that throne
had the ability to greatly affect
the climate of the kingdom.

Because there was seldom
a system of checks and balances
to slow the change of power.

So the people under authority
became much like the one seated
upon the throne.
Following all the new rules,
conforming to the new standard,
abiding the new law of the land.

And today as I read about several kings,
I was sad to see an end come
to one of my favorites...
one of the good guys.
​
​Tragically, after an excellent reign,
the life of King Hezekiah ended,
and his son Manasseh took the throne.

And he did evil
in the sight of the Lord,
according to the abominations
of the nations whom the Lord
had cast out before
the children of Israel.
2 Kings 21:2 NKJV

Manasseh rebuilt all the altars
his father Hezekiah tore down.
He put foreign gods within
the very House of the Lord.

Also he made his son
pass through the fire,
practiced soothsaying,
used witchcraft,
and consulted spiritists and mediums.
He did much evil
in the sight of the Lord,
to provoke Him to anger.
2 Kings 21:6

What a shame
that this son of a great king
had changed things so quickly,
had turned to such evil ways...
that all the inhabitants of his kingdom
did more evil than the nations whom
the Lord destroyed before them.

And the Lord spoke to Manasseh
and his people, but they would not listen.
Therefore the Lord brought upon them
the captains of the army
of the king of Assyria,
who took Manasseh with hooks,
bound him with bronze fetters,
and carried him off to Babylon.

Now when he was in affliction,
he implored the Lord his God,
and humbled himself greatly
before the God of his fathers,
and prayed to Him;
and He received his entreaty,
heard his supplication,
and brought him back to Jerusalem
into his kingdom.
Then Manasseh knew
that the Lord was God.
2 Chronicles 33:10-13

Now THAT was some grace!
That was some mercy!

Here was a king who exceeded
the limits of evil.
And when God began punishment...
had him taken, and
bound in captivity,
by the most ruthless of captors...
Manasseh cried out for mercy.
And after all his idol worship,
God still listened to his plea.

And when God showed him mercy,
Manasseh finally realized
who his God really was.
​
And the verse says...
Then Manasseh KNEW
that the Lord was God.

This word KNEW, or KNOW
in Hebrew is yada... (yawdah)
It is not a casual kind of knowing.
But rather, means to learn, observe,
discover or ascertain through
experience, observation, instruction,
inference, and even punishment.

This too is how we come
to KNOW God...
through experience.
Hopefully not always
as punishment like Manasseh,
but experientially, nonetheless.

Once in captivity...
taken out of a place of power
to make careless decisions,
Manasseh found himself humbled.
God had to strip everything away
before He could get his attention
Only then did Mannaseh
recognize God...
and come to really KNOW Him.

And once back in Jerusalem,
no longer did he worship
the many foreign gods
that he had set up all over
the land of Judah.

But Manasseh, now king once more,
made a complete change in his life.
He realized there was room
for only one God in his heart.
A single throne
where the LORD God
alone would reign
as King of his heart.

So Manasseh began to behave
much like his father Hezekiah.
And he fortified the cities,
tore down the altars,
removed the foreign gods,
and cast them out of the cities.
He also repaired the altar of the Lord,
sacrificed peace offerings
and thank offerings on it,
and commanded Judah
​to serve the Lord God of Israel.
2 Chronicles 33:16

What a radical change
was made in this king's life
because of the mercy of God.

But it I realize it ONLY happened
after a man of power humbled himself
in a place of punishment;
bound and captive,
humbled and powerless.

This could not have been
an easy thing for him.

How much easier it would have been
to complain, point fingers,
blame his past, or stay angry.

But because he humbled himself
and cried out to God,
there was mercy and grace.

Oh to KNOW God...
to discover who He really is
through experience,
even punishment.
And to then seat Him
on the throne of your heart.

These are life lessons
truly to be learned.

But they are often only realized
when we too are willing
to reassess what is important to us;
when we are willing to humble ourselves,
even through circumstance, trial,
punishment, or pain.

It's in experiencing God's provision
at our most broken times
that we discover true
healing, comfort, and forgiveness.

It's in experiencing His presence
when we are vulnerable and lost,
that we learn from Him, what
we cannot learn from a life of ease.

But when we are willing to be
present in the moment of pain...
God shows up.

Only then can we can unseat
whatever had been
lord of our heart so long.

For when God becomes
the King who is seated
on the throne of our heart,
our entire life will change...
for the better.

We saw it in the life of a king,
Lord, let us contemplate this,
even in our life today...

Here is a song,
Only One
by Harvest.
It's lyrics are meant to be
considered from the perspective
of God directed to our hearts.

And while it speaks of
removing the names
of former lovers,
it does not necessarily mean
people with whom we have been.

For anything we place
above or before God
as a priority in our life,
in our heart...
God considers a lover
who steals us from Him.
​
(If you do not see the video below, CLICK HERE. )

Have you ever considered...
who is seated
upon the throne of your heart?

For there is a King
who desperately wants that position.

And He is merciful
and filled with grace.
He longs for you
to KNOW Him.

Consider even
this life of Manasseh...
Oh how much more
mercy and grace
God will shower upon us,
when we humble our hearts
​even in our place of captivity.

Word of God
train me, today...
To allow You alone to reign
on the throne of my heart.
To allow You as King
​to direct my life.