Faith is Not a Cliché
He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses. And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not. 2 Kings 18:5-7
King Hezekiah was one of the blessed kings of Judah. His ascent to the throne followed years of terrible spiritual apostasy that his father, King Ahaz, had imposed upon the people of Judah. Judah was spiritually weakened from years of neglect. Hezekiah made a series of immediate reforms, removals, and right practices to bring the people back to God. Today’s Scripture reading tells us that he “trusted in the LORD God of Israel.” His faith testimony teaches us that “faith is not a cliché.”
There is the confidence in Hezekiah’s faith.
Faith is a complete reliance upon the Lord. The people had not seen an example of a leader who trusted wholly in the Lord. Hezekiah demonstrated this by taking matters before the Lord in prayer. He was not selective in what he prayed about. He was a man who, in everything by prayer and supplication, made his requests known unto God. He knew that he could trust the Lord, and the Lord knew that He could trust Hezekiah. The more time we spend in the presence of the Lord, the greater our confidence in Him increases.
There is the compliance in Hezekiah’s faith.
Faith and obedience go hand in hand. There is no true faith without absolute obedience. “For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses.” Hezekiah gave himself to the reading of the Word of God so that he was always conscious of what he was supposed to do. This obedience gave him the insight and inspiration to remove the high places, cut down the images, and remove the relics that were being worshiped by the people. He did not ask what traditions his father followed; he sought out God’s Word for his answers.
There is the companionship in Hezekiah’s faith.
“And the LORD was with him.” We see that the presence of the Lord was richly upon Hezekiah. The cornerstone of a great faith is time that is spent with God. The Lord was with him because he was with the Lord. As soon as Hezekiah cleaned up the house of God and reopened its doors, its ministry as a house of prayer was greatly utilized by him. Just as Moses' face shone after many days in the presence of the Lord, everything that Hezekiah did gave evidence that the Lord was with him.
There is the courage in Hezekiah’s faith.
“He prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.” He resisted the tyrannical threats of Assyria. He held his ground and gave pushback to the enemy’s advances. All around Hezekiah, the neighboring kings either were overtaken or surrendered their kingdoms. He went against the compromise of the day and stood strong in the Lord. We cannot muster courage in our strength. We get easily intimidated. However, Hezekiah’s courage demonstrated strong and resolute faith in God. He trusted in the Lord God of Israel. Hezekiah would not fail God, and God would not fail him.
Don’t let faith be a cliché! Let your faith be real, responsible, robust, and reliable. Real faith is a total reliance upon the Lord. Reflect on Hezekiah’s faith, and let the Lord be your strength!
Have a faith-inspired God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Proverbs 16-18