Hezekiah trusted in the Lord. . . . He held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him. . . . And the Lord was with him. (2 Kings 18:5–7)
Expanded Passage: 2 Kings 18:1-7
After graduating from a boarding school in Africa where I had attended high school as a missionary kid, I struggled throughout my late teens and early twenties. In my first semester of college, I wrestled with doubt due to the perspectives I encountered, the transitions through which I struggled, and the inconsistencies of key leaders’ faith actions as they intersected with my own life.
After a couple years of studying apologetic writers like Josh McDowell and C. S. Lewis, I made a choice: There was a God, and I would pursue him. I chose that path. But due to my earlier experience, I now carry a passion to allow others in my life the space to approach God with questions and help them pursue God. Now I can see how God has been with me when I pursue him.
Hezekiah chose to follow God. He did not have a God-nurturing environment. With a father who was considered an evil king, Hezekiah certainly saw the inconsistencies of the leaders in his life. Yet he chose to pursue God. He worked tirelessly to ensure that his people had access to encounter God in the temple. Hezekiah trusted God in the midst of great opposition, and the Lord helped him overcome. Hezekiah did not stop following God, and it was recorded that he did right in the eyes of God and God was with him.
Pursue God and see his presence.
Sandy Emmett is the director of care for Global Partners of The Wesleyan Church. She enjoys riding bicycles, hiking, walking her dogs, playing with her grandchildren, and reading a good book.
© 2024 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
