Walk Steadfastly

Anytime the Bible mentions rewards or blessings for believers based on our actions, my ears perk up. There are many highlighted in the Bible and I believe that Christians should pay close attention to every mention of them, and we should pursue them with all of our heart. Because when God rewards us, that tells us that he is pleased with us. When he blesses us, we know that we’ve done something right. Just like when we get a good grade in school, do our chores without being told, or accomplish something noteworthy in our field of expertise, we please our earthly fathers and are are often rewarded, we can also please God and receive an award. And as believers it should be our duty to pursue the things that please the Lord and avoid anything that disappoint him. One thing that pleases God is our faithfulness to him. Yes, he will forgive us when we are unfaithful, but if we are able to remain faithful, that is a really big deal. It says in Second Chronicles, chapter 27, verse 6:

“Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the Lord his God.”

So, king Jotham was rewarded because he walked steadfastly before the Lord. It was God’s good pleasure to reward him because he pleased God. So if we walk steadfastly before God, we will please him as well. But what does it mean to walk steadfastly? The dictionary describes steadfast as: “resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering”. And when it says that he walked steadfastly, it means that he lived a steadfast, or unwavering, life before the Lord. I would encourage you to consider your walk today. How steadfast are you before the Lord? Does your walk, or your life for God, waver? Or is it resolute or dutifully firm and unwavering? God rewarded king Jotham with power because of his steadfast walk. And now that we know this, we should pursue a steadfast walk as well.

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Maintaining a steadfast walk is difficult. And as our culture drifts further and further away from God, the more difficult it will become. But it is something that we should pursue. We should pause to consider where we are with God. Are we in step with the Spirit or have we fallen off of the tracks, so to speak? If we are unable, or unwilling, to examine how we are living, we may ultimately find that we at odds with who God wants us to be. A steadfast walk is a daily effort. As we take up our cross daily, we are actively pursuing a resolute and unwavering conviction to our Lord and King. I would encourage you to examine your walk. Are you in step, or do you need to make a course correction? Because maintaining a steadfast walk before the Lord is one clear way to please him.

Reintroduce

I know that I shouldn’t be, but I’m still surprised, and even shocked, when I see headlines proving that our nation is going further and further away from God and his principles. Our moral and spiritual decline is moving so fast that it is almost as if we are on a rollercoaster heading down a track which is only picking up speed. It is as if we have completely forgotten the God on which many of our country’s principles where based. I find myself praying that our leaders, law makers and even some of our churches would do what Josiah did in second Chronicles when he was reintroduced to the scriptures that God originally placed before his people through Moses. Once Hilkiah, the priest, found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord, he showed it to king Josiah who said this in chapter 34, verse 21: 

“Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book.” 

Today, we find ourselves in a similar situation as the Israelites of old. Our laws, culture, and our very society have all but abandoned God. We have become like the pagans; idolizing technology and cultural icons, glorifying sexual immorality and the gratification of our sinful desires, while teaching the next generation to do the same. Though some of us still hold fast to the Lord, our country, as a whole, needs to be reintroduced to God. We need to be reintroduced to the Holy scriptures. I pray that God does not leave us to our own devices; that he doesn’t abandon us like we’ve abandoned him. I encourage you to pray for our nation. Pray that America begins to inquire of the Lord again. Pray that we are reintroduced to God and his word.

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Like Josiah said in second Chronicles, “our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord”. Though this is true today, I believe there is hope. I believe that we can come back, just as Josiah and his people did. When they were reintroduced to the word of God they radically changed their ways. They read the scripture, renewed their covenant with God, and obeyed what was written. King Josiah removed the detestable idols, and all of Israel began serving the Lord their God.  We need to do the same. Our nation depends on it, our children depend on it, and our future depends on it. So I encourage you to pray that we, as a country, will turn back to God with all of our heart and with all of our soul.

Eyes on You

One thing life teaches us is that anything can happen at any time. We like to think that we have control over our lives, but when major, life-altering issues take us by surprise, we realize that control is an illusion. Though we may be able to control what we wear in the morning, we can’t control if, and when, calamity will strike, or when our circumstances will become too big for us. Believers know that there is always one who is in full control. During those times of uncertainty, struggle or impending doom, I encourage you to do what king Jehoshaphat did in second Chronicles chapter 20, which was to keep his eyes on God. It says in verse 12:

“O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.”

King Jehoshaphat and the nation of Judah was about to be wiped out by an army too large to fight. In that moment, he was reminded that on his own, he had no power or control over the situation. But he did have faith enough to believe in the one who always does. He acknowledged that he had no power to face the army; that left to his own devices, he would die that day. He humbled himself, explaining to God that he didn’t know what to do. But he knew enough to keep his eyes on God. Whenever you find yourself in a bad situation that is too big for you, I encourage you to keep your eyes upon God. Unlike those who don’t believe and are without hope when these things occur, we who do believe have hope; hope in the one who can rescue us, heal us, and save us.

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When king Jehoshaphat saw that his situation was hopeless, he did what many of us would do; he cried out to God. But he didn’t stop there. He put his faith in the one who can save him; the one who is truly in control. He admitted that he had no idea what to do in his own strength, but he kept his eyes on God. There is nothing too big for God. Any situation you have faced, are facing or will face, is well within his control. He made this world with all of the laws that govern it, and he can change and alter those laws if he wants. When Jehoshaphat cried out to God, God answered, and delivered him in a miraculous way. If you’re facing something too big for you, God can deliver you too.

Proclaimed Fast

Have you ever participated in a group fast? Some churches have been known to declare a fast for their entire congregation for a period of time to seek God on a matter. If you’ve had the opportunity to participate in such a fast, I trust that God gave you an answer to the purpose of your fast. Group fasting is biblical. Entire nations have fasted when they’ve needed a move of God, and I believe when God sees this kind of humility and unity amongst his people, he can’t help but meet them in the midst of it. Jehoshaphat found that out when he was faced with war as a vast army was on the move against him. It says in second Chronicles 20, verses 2 through 4: 

“Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, ‘A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already in Hazazon Tamar’. Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed they came from every town in Judah to seek him.”

And when they came together as one and fasted, seeking the Lord earnestly, God answered. He spoke through his prophet telling Judah that he would fight the battle for them. The Bible says that God told them to, “stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you.” Then God set an ambush and the armies ended up fighting against each other. You see, God is always listening. But sometimes, when we have an issue that is urgent, when we have a problem that requires a miracle, nothing gets God’s attention faster than believers fasting, praying and crying out to him. Jehoshaphat proclaimed a nationwide fast, and the whole nation of Judah answered that call. Maybe our churches, and even our nation, should take a page out of Jehoshaphat’s playbook.

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You may have fasted on your own when you’ve had an urgent issue to bring before the Lord. And if so, that is very biblical. But it is also biblical for large groups of believers to fast, and as second Chronicles puts it, “to come together to seek help from the Lord.” Our urgency and earnestness can influence God. When as a group we fast and cry out to the Lord, I believe that he sees our heightened urgency and in realizing how utterly desperate we are, responds accordingly. Of course, God knows what we need before we even ask him, but this portion of scripture proves that it is always helpful when he knows that we know that as well.