Sunday, April 5, 2020

Patience (going at things slow)

In the book of 2 Chronicles, chapter 34, we have the next king of Judah Josiah.  He was only eight years old when he became king, and ruled for thirty-one years.

What's good about Josiah was that he did what was right in the Lord.  But unlike many of his predecessors, he didn't rush into anything.  He was patient, even when it came to the Lord.  Even though he did the right things, it wasn't until he was sixteen before he began to seek out God.  Then, in his twelfth year as king, he had the altars of false gods taken down.  He completely purified the land.

Starting in his eighteenth year, he had the Temple purified and paid to have it repaired to an even better shape than before.  Those under his leadership served faithfully as he entrusted the Temple and its construction in their care.

While repairing the Temple, an ancient book, the Book of the Law written by Moses, was discovered.  Then, he was in great distress, for written in it were the commandments of the Lord and how His wrath would be stricken onto them for their ancestors did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord.  But since Josiah came to the Lord with such a humble heart, God was pleased and would not strike them down.

From that point onward, Josiah and his people continued to do what was right in the Lord's eyes and even kept to his Laws.

When I first read this chapter, I was a bit perplexed at how long it took king Josiah to do some of the things he had done, even if they were right.  Then I put myself in his shoes, at eight years old, being a ruler of a land, and the great responsibility placed on him.  He must have studied greatly, taking his time, to fulfill what he needed to do.

When you find yourself with great responsibility, take your time to do things right.  As a leader of people at my day job, I took my time (and still do) to make sure things are done right.  I do not make rash decisions, and as much as I can, I pray about the decision before it's made.

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