May the mumbling commence!
What do we most hold dear? What are we most apt to share with other
people? Do we remember what the Lord had
done for us? King Hezekiah of Judah had
issues with these questions. Read a verse from Isaiah chapter thirty-eight:
Think of it—
the Lord has healed me!
I will sing his praises with instruments
every day of my life in the Temple of the Lord. (Verse 20)
Hezekiah was singing the praises of
the Lord after his illness disappeared.
The king of Babylon sent people to help Hezekiah celebrate his
recovery. What filled Hezekiah’s mouth
with praise when these visitors came?
Read from Isaiah chapter thirty-nine:
Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked
him, "What did those men want? Where were they from?"
Hezekiah replied, "They came from the distant land
of Babylon."
"What did they see in your palace?" asked
Isaiah.
"They saw everything,"
Hezekiah replied. "I showed them everything
I own – all my treasures."
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Listen to this
message from the Lord
Almighty: The
time is coming when everything you have –
all the treasures stored up by your ancestors – will be carried off to
Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. Some of your
own descendants will be taken away
into exile. They will become eunuchs
who will serve in the palace of Babylon's king."
Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "This message you have given me from
the Lord is good."
But the king was thinking, "At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime." (Verses
3-8)
We can talk about the “me”
generation (or is it generations) that surround us. King Hezekiah was no different. What he had was his – no matter that his
ancestors had accumulated most of it… no matter that it wouldn’t be there for
his children and grandchildren. His
lifetime was the only lifetime that mattered.
May God rescue us from this myopic
worldview. I am infected. So are you.
We need healing. Heal us, O Lord!
Help us to repent when our own
excesses bring on plagues… and when You bring us plagues to turn us back to
you. That is the purpose of the plagues
in Revelation. Repent! Come back to the Lord! Read from Revelation chapter sixteen:
Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun,
causing it to scorch everyone with its fire.
Everyone was burned by this blast of heat, and they cursed the name of
God, who sent all of these plagues. They did not
repent and give him glory.
Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of
the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. And his subjects ground
their teeth in anguish, and they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and
sores. But they refused to repent of all their evil
deeds. (Verses 8-11)
Guide us back to the glory that You
first intended, O God.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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