Going Against The Grain

2 Chronicles 31:20-21 – Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah; and he did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered. (RSV)

Hezekiah was willing to go against the norm and conventions of his time to do what was right in the sight of the Lord. He re-opened the house of God, while others had shut the doors to the temple. He called for devotion to the one true God, when others were worshipping idols and pagan gods. He re-instituted the sacred instruments of the priesthood in the temple, which had been discarded by the prior king. He called for repentance, when others were living sinful, adulterous, and unrepentant lifestyles.

Oh, that the leaders of our day, the leaders of our government and churches, would step forward with such boldness and faith to go against the grain for the sake of God.

While we have little or no control over the actions of our leaders, we can, ourselves, choose to be like King Hezekiah, by breaking the mould of modern culture and devoting ourselves fully and wholly to our Lord and Saviour. Doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord is not always the easiest thing to do, and is not often what comes naturally to us. For me, and probably many Christians like me, the conventions of the world often work themselves into parts of our lives, and we find ourselves, like the Israelites, sinning against our Lord.

Our challenge is to be more like Hezekiah, and to have every work that we undertake be for service to God and in accordance with His law. This means that we are to seek God in all that we do, and then to do what God calls us to do with all of our hearts. The challenge is one that will have far greater positive rewards than negative consequences as is shown in the last words of the account of Hezekiah in today's scripture, and later in 2 Chronicles 32:30: "He prospered in all his works."

Prayer: Dear God, we repent now of the sins in our lives. We desire to be like King Hezekiah and to seek Your face and Your will in all that we do. We ask that You fill us with a full measure of Your spirit, that we might do what is right and faithful, and that we might prosper in all that we do for Your kingdom. Amen.

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