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.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
categories
All
published
January 2019
Check out more: |