2 Chronicles 30:6 and 9
- At the king's command, couriers went throughout Israel and
Judah with letters from the king and from his officials, which read:
"People of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and
Israel, that he may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand
of the kings of Assyria.
If you return to the LORD, then your brothers and your children will be shown
compassion by their captors and will come back to this land, for
the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not
turn his face from you if you return to him."
King Hezekiah did not stop at just cleaning up the
Temple. He sent letters to all the
people…throughout Judah and Israel…begging them to come and celebrate the
Passover in Jerusalem…begging them to return to God. The fire that God had
ignited in his heart was not a temporary fix for the moment…it was a permanent
change of heart that he wanted others to experience too.
The king even realized that many of the people who came would
be unprepared…. not sanctified ….offerings not completely worthy of the God who
they came to worship. So the king
offered up a prayer to God…to forgive them for their conditions…and allow them
to worship anyway. He stood in the gap for his people who had come with a ready
heart….and pleaded for God’s compassion and mercy to accept them the way they
came.
The people were filled with such deep joy they could not
leave after the 7 days allotted were up…they stayed and lingered in the town
for another 7 days….worshiping and feasting and celebrating. Their hearts were so full of God that they
went out to destroy the last of the idols and shrines in the high places
together.
What a great reminder
that we need to sell out to God completely….so we can experience the deep joy
that fills our soul with a need to go out and share what he has done for us. The
deep love for God…is the only thing that will get us through the rough times….will
sustain us while we are in a valley. God’s
deep love …planted deeply in our soul…is the only thing that will give us hope
to go on in spite of anything that happens.
Father…I thank you for the reminder to lean completely on
you…and plant your love so deeply in my heart that it will become a permanent
part of my life. Help me to always hold your hand…and call to you to help me
when I cannot see the path in front of me.
Help me remember all the great things you have done for me…and make sure
those around me hear about your great love. Amen.
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