Lessons From 2 Chronicles: Devotions From Time Of GraceSample

Connect the dots

When you were a sophomore in high school, do you think you had the maturity and wisdom to rule a country? I sure didn’t. Uzziah was only 16 when he became king of Judah. And though he might have been as raw as I was, he was blessed to have a wise, believing mentor who guided his development and royal decisions.

Zechariah showed the king how to connect the dots, i.e., see cause and effect between obedience to God and the peace and prosperity the nation enjoyed: “Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. . . . He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done. 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” (2 Chronicles 26:3-5).

Can you connect the dots in your life? Have you lived long enough; are you perceptive enough; do you listen to others enough; do you know Scripture well enough to see that God still blesses people who care about his will and consult him? Do you believe that the Lord of the universe actually intervenes in human history and changes things in your favor as a blessing for your obedience?

Okay, so you know that. Now comes the hard part—will you act on that knowledge and live that way?