Christianity Oasis Forum

[Lani]

2 Kings 18:1-7
1 Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.
2 Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah.
3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.
4 He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.
5 He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.
6 For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses.
7 And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.


“[Hezekiah] held fast to the Lord, he did not depart from following him but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded to Moses.” 2 Kings 18:6




When my son was about three years old, I brought him along with me to my men's accountability-group meeting. At the start of the meeting, I noticed how close to me my son was sitting. In an unfamiliar place, surrounded by a room full of strange and therefore probably scary-looking men, he felt frightened and insecure. So he held on tightly to the only familiar person in that room – his father. As long as Dad was near, he felt safe.

The way he clung to me made me think about the importance of our clinging to God. Second Kings, chapter 18, describes Hezekiah as a righteous king. He was successful and prosperous. But more important, Hezekiah clung to the Lord. I believe that is the secret to unleashing spiritual power in our lives.
Clinging to God may sound simple, but it's not as easy as it may seem. Humans have a propensity to be independent. After sitting close for about 30 minutes, my son slowly loosened his grip on me as he became more comfortable. But when we become comfortable spiritually, we may begin to depend on ourselves and our abilities and loosen our grip on God. We find ourselves working more and praying less. The secret to unleashing spiritual power in our lives is to maintain constant dependence on God – clinging to God as if our life depended on it, never letting go.




Prayer: “Dear Lord, Teach us to cling to you as a child holds fast to its partent and to not let go. Amen.

Prayer Focus of Day: Fathers and Sons

Thought for the Day: God is ever-present, find new ways to acknowledge Him in this day.

Story shared by: M. Villa-Reed (Phillippines)
Source: Upper Room Daily Devotional: 7/29/11