Josiah, the Boy King - Part 2

But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard, because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the LORD. Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place and its inhabitants.’” And they brought back word to the king. (2 Chronicles 34:26-28 ESV). Yesterday we saw the beginning of the life of Josiah as king of Judah. Today we’ll see the conclusion of the life of this great young king, who started his rule at the age of eight. Our reading comes from the parallel passage in 2 Chronicles. I chose it because I wanted to make a point. I’m sure you are familiar with 2 Chronicles 7:14, where the prophet says, “if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” It is a very familiar passage from the Old Testament. Did you realize God actually answered this prayer, and we have it recorded, in the life of Josiah? Look at today’s verse. Josiah found the Word of God, he read it to the people, the people obeyed, and God blessed them for it. Isn’t it wonderful that simple obedience leads God to bless His people? It is not complicated. Josiah was king. He could have done practically anything he wanted to do. He chose to set the pattern of his life following the Lord. He wanted God to rule every aspect of his life. He “humbled” himself so that he could decrease and God could increase. God richly blessed him because of the attitude of his heart. God expects no less from us today. 2 Chronicles 7:14 is a great verse. While this verse does not deal specifically with any other nation but Israel, it does teach the truth that God still answers prayer, and He is still anxious to bless His people. Shouldn’t we, as the Church, take a moment and reevaluate where we are in relation to this verse? In order for God to bless us, we must turn to him in humility and repentance. Follow Josiah’s example and God will not disappoint you!