Day 296: Just In Case You Did Not Remember ....
Read: 2 Kings 20:1 - 11
Just in case you did not remember or somewhere along the way got too
wrapped up in the awesomely overwhelming busyness of your day to day
lives and you just plain forgot - I just wanted to remind you of the two
most critically important facts of the Christians life - and these are
that first God is definitely still on His throne surrounded by His
Seraphim, second that prayer absolutely, positively, definitely does change
things! Hallelujah, what completely a startling, undoubtedly stunning
revelations these are to those of you out there to busy trying to keep
up with the Jones, the Smiths and those Jane and John Doe's of the world. So, I am YELLING at you now to just please stop it!
In today’s modern world driven by the absolute need to for us to
succeed at any cost, governed by the drive to thrive, get the best
education possible, work three jobs so to pay for the ridiculously
high cost getting that education. The higher and higher costs of raising
our families, running of businesses that keep food on the table, high
quality products on the markets for consumers and a host more I am sure
you can fill in for me. Sometimes it is hard for us to realize the
presence of God on His throne and the absolute life changing power of
prayer. Man has accomplished so much that all too often we look for solutions to life’s problems in the natural world before even seeking God.
From our Scripture reading, Good King Hezekiah, had an entire nation to run. A truly busy, daunting job when you consider all the simply mundane decisions and those
impossibly complex ones he was looked at to make each and every day. What
does it take to be a king these days? What does it take for us to be kings of our own spiritual households, of our spiritual lives, of the spiritual lives of our families? Now, Hezekiah finds himself confined in bed, mortally ill. Isaiah tells him to put all his kingly affairs in order for he will surely not arise from that bed before he is dead. I do not know what would be going through your head at a time like that. Mine would be a tornado of thoughts, of examining everything I previously thought was so very unimportant!
We do, however, get a reasonably good glimpse of what was undoubtedly
going on in Hezekiah's mind. (2,3) 'Then Hezekiah turned his face to the
wall and prayed to the Lord: “Remember now, O Lord, I implore you, how I
have walked before you in faithfulness with a whole heart, and have
done what is good in your sight.” Hezekiah wept bitterly. Suddenly, King Hezekiah's thoughts originally, intensely centered on his own kingdom to
come, shifted to God's Kingdom to come. He remembered that God was his
king, God had not removed Himself from his throne over Israel or from
His one in heaven. He prayed, God heard, Hezekiah lived 15 more years! Did you learn anything?
Let Us Pray: Place yourself into this story. Assess your life as it is
now. Deliberately place yourself in the kingly socks and shoes of the
good and righteous King Hezekiah. Fervently pray over whatever life circumstance it is that the Holy Spirit places upon your heart. Look at some wall (near or far), pray Hezekiah's prayer from a suitable position. Pray for an Isaiah the Prophet to come into your life who will be brave
enough to confront you, to challenge you to 'put your spiritual house in
order'! Who will stay with you in this time of re-centering, in this oh
so essential, critical time of re-examining your conscience.
May your
new testimony, your new witness become as powerful as inspirational, as
completely life changing as that of Hezekiah's. (10,11) 'Hezekiah answered, “It is
normal for the shadow to lengthen ten intervals; rather let the shadow
retreat ten intervals.” The prophet Isaiah cried to the Lord; and he
brought the shadow back the ten intervals, by which the sun had declined
on the dial of Ahaz.' Let the Lord our God be glorified!
http://www.youtube.com/
Read: 2 Kings 20:1 - 11
Just in case you did not remember or somewhere along the way got too wrapped up in the awesomely overwhelming busyness of your day to day lives and you just plain forgot - I just wanted to remind you of the two most critically important facts of the Christians life - and these are that first God is definitely still on His throne surrounded by His Seraphim, second that prayer absolutely, positively, definitely does change things! Hallelujah, what completely a startling, undoubtedly stunning revelations these are to those of you out there to busy trying to keep up with the Jones, the Smiths and those Jane and John Doe's of the world. So, I am YELLING at you now to just please stop it!
In today’s modern world driven by the absolute need to for us to succeed at any cost, governed by the drive to thrive, get the best education possible, work three jobs so to pay for the ridiculously high cost getting that education. The higher and higher costs of raising our families, running of businesses that keep food on the table, high quality products on the markets for consumers and a host more I am sure you can fill in for me. Sometimes it is hard for us to realize the presence of God on His throne and the absolute life changing power of prayer. Man has accomplished so much that all too often we look for solutions to life’s problems in the natural world before even seeking God.
From our Scripture reading, Good King Hezekiah, had an entire nation to run. A truly busy, daunting job when you consider all the simply mundane decisions and those impossibly complex ones he was looked at to make each and every day. What does it take to be a king these days? What does it take for us to be kings of our own spiritual households, of our spiritual lives, of the spiritual lives of our families? Now, Hezekiah finds himself confined in bed, mortally ill. Isaiah tells him to put all his kingly affairs in order for he will surely not arise from that bed before he is dead. I do not know what would be going through your head at a time like that. Mine would be a tornado of thoughts, of examining everything I previously thought was so very unimportant!
We do, however, get a reasonably good glimpse of what was undoubtedly going on in Hezekiah's mind. (2,3) 'Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord: “Remember now, O Lord, I implore you, how I have walked before you in faithfulness with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” Hezekiah wept bitterly. Suddenly, King Hezekiah's thoughts originally, intensely centered on his own kingdom to come, shifted to God's Kingdom to come. He remembered that God was his king, God had not removed Himself from his throne over Israel or from His one in heaven. He prayed, God heard, Hezekiah lived 15 more years! Did you learn anything?
Let Us Pray: Place yourself into this story. Assess your life as it is now. Deliberately place yourself in the kingly socks and shoes of the good and righteous King Hezekiah. Fervently pray over whatever life circumstance it is that the Holy Spirit places upon your heart. Look at some wall (near or far), pray Hezekiah's prayer from a suitable position. Pray for an Isaiah the Prophet to come into your life who will be brave enough to confront you, to challenge you to 'put your spiritual house in order'! Who will stay with you in this time of re-centering, in this oh so essential, critical time of re-examining your conscience.
May your new testimony, your new witness become as powerful as inspirational, as completely life changing as that of Hezekiah's. (10,11) 'Hezekiah answered, “It is normal for the shadow to lengthen ten intervals; rather let the shadow retreat ten intervals.” The prophet Isaiah cried to the Lord; and he brought the shadow back the ten intervals, by which the sun had declined on the dial of Ahaz.' Let the Lord our God be glorified!
http://www.youtube.com/
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