There was a king of Judah named Ahaziah who was no good. He ends up dying and his mom tries to kill the entire royal family (Jerry Springer?). The daughter of the king before Ahaziah snatched up a baby named Joash, who was in line to be king, to keep him alive. The baby is hidden in the temple of the Lord while the bonkers mom rules over Judah. In a CSI-style ceremony, the baby is brought out of the temple and crowned king 6 years later. Yes, crazy mom goes hysterical. The story goes on and on.
"He (Joash) remained hidden with them at the temple of God for six years while Athaliah (crazy mom) ruled the land." 2 Chron. 22:12.
No one knew the baby, Joash, was even still alive. They had no idea he was growing and being prepared for kingship. He was simply gone to them; hidden. Have you ever felt that way?
We as humans so badly want to be known. We want to be seen and honored. We so desparately want to be great! And guess what? We were made for all of the above. But we don't have to promote ourselves to get there. The hiding place in the temple of God, the secret place, the times you spend on your knees in prayer, those are the very key to the greatness we desire (John 15). We are known and seen by a lofty and intimate God who is sovereign over our lives. Do not despise the times in life of waiting and preparation. They are callings, not curses.
Don't miss they he remained hidden "with them" at the temple of God. Are the people you surround yourself pushing you towards that intimate place with God? Or are they trying to get you out of the temple of God? Joash's preparation to be king relied very heavily on those people around him raising him up.
22.1.12
6.1.12
Miracle coat.
I've always struggled with shopping, especially for frivolous things. A starving child pops up in my head on aisle 3 and I instantly feel the guilt of consumerism.
I had an old ski coat from 8th grade that was a size or two too big and not as warm as I had hoped. I wanted a new one for an upcoming ski retreat but it wasn't a necessity; it was a want not a need. I looked around department stores in vain. One morning my mom had an entire list of consignment shops listed out. My mom said, "We're going to find one today. I prayed about it." My first thought was, "God doesn't care about this! I already have one that will work." After our first consignment shop was closed, we decided TJ Maxx might have something. We searched the store for ski jackets and finally asked an employee where the jackets were located. She told us they didn't have anymore. As we begin to turn away, she remembered they may have had one left. She showed us the remaining jacket. It was an Under Armour ski jacket in my precise size over 50% off. It was an obnoxious color, but at that point I wasn't picky.
I walked out of my apartment today to make a starbucks run. I looked down and realized I had on an old under armour fleece pullover the color as the lining of the new ski jacket. God knew. He knew years ago when I bought the pullover it would match a jacket. Wow. And to make it better, I've never gotten more compliments on a piece of clothing like I have this crazy lime green jacket. Maybe it's because it sticks out so much no one knows what else to say.
Needless to say, God cares about the smallest desires of our hearts. Psalm 139 speaks to just how well He knows us. From the hairs on our heads to the details of all of our ordained days, He knows and He cares.
I had an old ski coat from 8th grade that was a size or two too big and not as warm as I had hoped. I wanted a new one for an upcoming ski retreat but it wasn't a necessity; it was a want not a need. I looked around department stores in vain. One morning my mom had an entire list of consignment shops listed out. My mom said, "We're going to find one today. I prayed about it." My first thought was, "God doesn't care about this! I already have one that will work." After our first consignment shop was closed, we decided TJ Maxx might have something. We searched the store for ski jackets and finally asked an employee where the jackets were located. She told us they didn't have anymore. As we begin to turn away, she remembered they may have had one left. She showed us the remaining jacket. It was an Under Armour ski jacket in my precise size over 50% off. It was an obnoxious color, but at that point I wasn't picky.
I walked out of my apartment today to make a starbucks run. I looked down and realized I had on an old under armour fleece pullover the color as the lining of the new ski jacket. God knew. He knew years ago when I bought the pullover it would match a jacket. Wow. And to make it better, I've never gotten more compliments on a piece of clothing like I have this crazy lime green jacket. Maybe it's because it sticks out so much no one knows what else to say.
Needless to say, God cares about the smallest desires of our hearts. Psalm 139 speaks to just how well He knows us. From the hairs on our heads to the details of all of our ordained days, He knows and He cares.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)