[456 words]
There are times when it seems like we are on a roll. Life is good. God is blessing us with smooth sailing. It seems as if it couldn’t be better. And then life takes a 180-degree turn. Our life falls apart. The Old Testament relates the story of Josiah. He was a good king, one of the very best. Here is the description: “Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left (2 Chron. 34:1-2 NKJV).
God blessed him. His reign was one of the great ones. The reason was stated in the word of God: “Because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” says the LORD. Surely I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place and its inhabitants” (2 Chron. 34:27-28). And when we think about this great man, we tend to remember all the great things he did starting as an eight-year-old young man and reigning 31 years. I guess you could say “it doesn’t get any better than this.”
I have had many discussions with alcoholic/addicts that revolve around this theme. Many have been blessed in their recovery. Their lives have had dramatic turnarounds. Life that had been so bad is now good. Our discussion revolves around this issue. When life is really, really, really good, look out, you may be in for a fall/relapse. Paul states it this way: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12).
Josiah, as great as he was, got a message from the king of Egypt which basically said, “God has sent me on a mission, get out of the way.” Now, I’m not sure I would believe the king of Egypt either. Josiah disguised himself and led the opposition to Necho. He did not heed “the words of Necho from the mouth of God.” It was going so good for him that he failed to ask God if this message was really true. Josiah was mortally wounded and died (2 Chron. 35:20 ff). It is really good, sound Biblical advice to “take heed lest ye fall.”
Ken Hamilton
Granite, OK