A Tale of Two Men

 2 Kings 18:5-7  Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the LORD and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the LORD had given Moses. And the LORD was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook.

Job 23:11-12, 30:26, 31:6, and   My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. … Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness. … let God weigh me in honest scales and he will know that I am blameless…

            Two men, both devoted to following the LORD, the Almighty God. We do not know the dates of Job’s life but scholars have estimated approximately 1,900 to 2,000 BC. The dates of King Hezekiah’s life are recorded as 716-687 BC. So even by the vaguest estimates, these two men lived nearly 1,300 years apart and yet never having met each other, they both chose to devotedly follow the same true Almighty God.

            For one man who followed God with his whole heart, success came in whatever he undertook. For one man who followed God with his whole heart, evil and darkness overshadowed his life—at least for a time (Job 42:10, 12). Yet both men were devoted to God. How can this be? This is when we are faced with the temptation to falter in our faith and ask ourselves why bad things happen to good people?

            The answer—a surprisingly simple solution—is voiced by psalmists and the apostle Paul:

Psalm 84:12  LORD Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.

Psalm 73:26  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18  Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Philippians 4:11-13  …for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Gracious Heavenly Father,

            In each and every situation may our focus be centered on you rather than the circumstances surrounding us. Good days and bad days come and go for each of us, but you remain the one true constant in our lives. Remind us that earthly things are temporary, but your soon-coming Kingdom is eternal and that is our goal, to be in your Kingdom. Thank you for your merciful supplies of daily grace, comfort, and strength.

            In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen.

 

The devotional A Tale of Two Men appeared first on Write From My Heart at writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com

email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com