Royals Part III: Into Exileনমুনা
Remember, Lord
Have you ever felt like God has forgotten you, or that He is not even aware of your situation? When you've faithfully served the Lord all your life, it feels cold that He would put us through suffering. We all have an internal sense of justice that feels violated when bad things happen to good people. We want to be able to pull up a list of all the great things we've done and say, "Look God, haven't I done enough?!"
The problem is that list usually isn't as impressive as we think. In fact, if we were judged on our actions alone, we would all be deservedly condemned. So, when we read that God relents and shows mercy to Hezekiah, it should not be read that Hezekiah persuaded God because of his impressive life.
How God responds is not actually related to what Hezekiah includes in his prayer but the posture of his prayer. "I have heard your prayer and seen your tears," He says, "I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David." He does not say, "Oh Hezekiah, I had forgotten how wonderful you were, and you don't deserve any of this. Forgive me for being too quick to judge you." Every time God heals, every time he delivers us from something, every time He intervenes in our lives, it is not because we deserve it, but because of His Grace.
Thought Point
Do you believe that God sees and is present in your situation?
Prayer Point
Ask God to remember you, ask Him to move in your situation, even though you don't deserve it.
Scripture
About this Plan
Tales of triumph and tragedy in the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles. The history of Kings of Israel and Judah is a story of divine faithfulness despite human failure. These flawed rulers point us towards the one true faithful king. Part III covers the kings of Judah leading up to the exiles of Israel and Judah.
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