The Godly Kings of JudahSample

Rebuilding Worship

When I was a teenager, I loved to read autobiographies. Some of the books that impacted me the most were about persecuted Christians in the former Soviet Union. Since my mother’s family was from Ukraine, I was drawn to stories of faith from that part of the world. The thread woven throughout the stories was how God’s Word sustained each person. Some of them only had scraps of pages of the Bible, and others had what they had memorized. This was their spiritual food when they were starved, beaten, tortured, and isolated. It kept their spirits alive.

God’s Word became more precious to me after I read their stories. My grandparents also underscored how grateful they were to have the freedom to have a Bible, as Bibles were scarce before my grandparents emigrated to the United States. I wish I could say that God’s Word has always been important to me. There have been seasons of hurt and pain when I wasn’t sure I could believe what I read. But in God’s mercy, He drew me back to His Word as I confessed my fears and doubts. Now, after seeing God’s faithfulness repeatedly, I am passionate about others experiencing His Word.

Just as Hezekiah had to clean up a great big mess in Judah, Josiah follows his ancestor Hezekiah’s example by repairing and restoring the temple. The crowning event is reinstituting the Passover celebration. But before the Passover occurs, something happens when the temple is repaired that causes King Josiah great anguish. Something of great value was found—the book of the Law. Josiah stands before his people and declares that they need to make a covenant after he publicly reads the book of the Law.

Keeping the Word in the center of our life doesn’t just happen. We need to be intentional about it. I used to think the quantity of Scripture I consumed was important. It’s not! It is whether I decide to feed myself daily and, in turn, how it helps me to live faithfully before God. But it doesn’t happen if I don’t have a plan.

Reflection: How can we take steps to make sure the Word of God stays central in our life?