Original Entry:
January 7, 2009
McMinnville, OR
He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who
instructed him in the fear of God. As
long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success. 2Chronicles 26:5
He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but
not wholeheartedly. 2Chronicle 25:2
Years ago my middle
son Darby and I were walking to some friend’s house and playing catch along the
way. As we walked I told Darby that this
was the path of my daily prayer walks. Instantly he got a curious look in his
eyes.
“Dad, can I ask you a
question?”
“Sure.” I responded.
“How do you walk on
your prayer walks for a whole hour without hitting stuff?”
“What?”
“How can you keep
your eyes closed for an hour and never walk into anything?”
I laughed out loud and
began to explain that praying with eyes open or closed is perfectly fine. In
fact, walking, sitting, kneeling, or lying down is okay with the God who looks
at our heart more than posture. I wondered how my son could be raised in the
church and Christian home and after twelve years still thinks his eyes must to
be closed to pray. He knew what he had been told and modeled by me.
Ouch.
There are too many
godly men in churches that are horrible parents. Slow down long enough too get
behind those you love long enough to see where they are going and what they are
thinking. Like the fletching on an arrow, lead from the back.
Uzziah began his rule
at age 16 and ruled Judah for fifty-two years!
What was the difference? What separated
Uzziah from other kings of Judah?
2 Chronicles 25:2 and 26:4 tell us that his father Amaziah had also sought the Lord. More than that, it was what happened after
Amaziah had died that was the difference maker.
Uzziah came under the mentorship of Zechariah the prophet who “instructed him in the fear of God.”
We read that Uzziah “sought God during the days of Zechariah”
(5) and “as long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success” (5). There is a correlation between how much we
fear God and how much we seek Him. We seek God to the degree that we fear Him.
Fear: Mentor of
Fear