Do You Need a Miracle?

Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced that God had prepared the people, since the events took place so suddenly.

2 Chronicles 29:36

The verse above is taken from one of my very favorite stories in the bible. Have you ever been in need of a suddenly? I’m talking about a desperate need? Where things around you are so bad, have gone so far; there’s nothing humanly possible you or anyone can do to change it? You need a miracle! Well, take heart, this is the perfect set up for God to do a suddenly!

Let’s have some real talk first – We often want God to rescue us from our problems. “Just get me out of this God, so I can go on my merry way living as I please.” Right???  Well, God loves us too much to deliver us in this fashion. Why? Because the problems we find ourselves in, didn’t happen over night. They manifested slowly and steadily as we made choice after choice to walk contrary to God’s will. Being honest here… There have been times that God in His mercy has delivered me from a situation without much change or effort on my part, but every time, I went right back to the same place, ended up in the same cycles…and became bound once again. This is where our undealt with sin nature will always take every time.

The good news is, God is in the business of setting people free, and who the Son sets free is free indeed! His freedom is true and lasting! I’m a firm believer however, that God wants us to partner with Him for the miracles in our lives. He calls us to cooperate with Him by submitting to His will, allowing Him to show us the path to freedom, and choosing to walk with Him to that place of victory. This is the freedom that is lasting, because it comes with a heart change. Change on the outside is fleeting, but a heart change is the true change that will permeate every area of our lives. Sometimes our hearts can be selfish, stubborn, even hardened….but God is looking for hearts that are pliable in His hand.

So let’s take a look at this powerful story. We’ll begin with King AHAZ. I’m going to summarize, but I encourage you to read about him later on your own. You can read HERE and HERE.

In 2 Chronicles 28 we see that Ahaz became King, and unlike David, he did not honor God. His heart was very far from God in fact, and he led the people to live idolatrously. He not only worshiped idols, but even sacrificed his own sons to them. Because of his evil heart, Judah suffered, and again and again they were attacked, captured, and enslaved.

2 Chronicles 28:19 says…

For the LORD humbled Judah because Ahaz king of Israel had thrown off restraint in Judah and had been most unfaithful to the LORD.

How sad. No matter what they went through, Ahaz’s hardened heart never turned to God in repentance. Judah went through this misery for 16 years until Ahaz died and his son Hezekiah ruled in his place. You can read about Hezekiah HERE in 2 Chronicles 29.

Hezekiah was only 25 when he began to reign, but immediately we see a great difference between him and his father. Verse 2 says, “he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. “ Immediately Hezekiah set out to right what was wrong. It’s important that you to read these verses below and hear Hezekiah’s heart as he speaks to the people.

3In the first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah opened and repaired the doors of the house of the LORD. 4Then he brought in the priests and Levites and gathered them in the square on the east side.

5“Listen to me, O Levites,” he said. “Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers. Remove from the Holy Place every impurity.

6For our fathers were unfaithful and did evil in the sight of the LORD our God. They abandoned Him, turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the LORD, and turned their backs on Him. 7They also shut the doors of the portico and extinguished the lamps. They did not burn incense or present burnt offerings in the Holy Place of the God of Israel.

8Therefore, the wrath of the LORD has fallen upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He has made them an object of terror, horror, and mockery, as you can see with your own eyes. 9For behold, this is why our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and daughters and wives are in captivity.

10Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, so that His fierce anger will turn away from us. 11Now, my sons, do not be negligent, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, to minister before Him, and to burn incense.”

WOW. What a difference. I highlighted that phrase in verse 10 because Hezekiah is expressing that his heart was for the Lord. That’s the difference between him and his father. Heart condition is everything. God always sees our heart. He sees the good, the bad and the ugly and while He loves us in all our imperfections, it’s a heart that is turned towards Him that catches His attention every time.

For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

2 Chronicles 16:9

This verse has encouraged me through the years. As I’ve fallen short many times in my life, I could have become hopeless except for this truth. God sees my heart. And He sees your heart. We may make mistakes, but when we turn our heart fully to God, He sees and is ready to move on our behalf.

Hezekiah could have looked at the hopeless circumstances and gotten bitter for the 16 year mess that was passed down to him, but instead he chose to humble himself and turn to the Lord. He didn’t blame-shift or shirk his responsibility. On the contrary, he turned to God, stepped up to the plate, and took action.

After Hezekiah shared his heart with the people, together they worked to tear down the idols, clean up the mess and once again consecrate the temple and themselves to the Lord. That word consecrate is important. It means to “set apart,  to carry out, to fulfill, to devote to.” This was a time of repentance for the people as they chose to turn away from that which took them so far from God and turn their hearts to Him once again. Sin offerings, burnt offerings and thanks offerings were given as they recommitted their lives to God. And then the people did a beautiful thing! They began to express the new condition of their hearts by worshiping the Lord. True worship comes from our hearts. I’d love to have been in that worship service, wouldn’t you? I’m sure it was amazing! Today, we no longer offer animal sacrifices, yet we have something more precious to offer to God. Romans 12:1 tells us the sacrifice that pleases God.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Romans 12:1

When our hearts are turned towards God, our sacrifice will be our very lives. It will be our choice to love God and live to please Him every day.  I believe keeping our hearts turned towards God is a continual act. As this sinful world tugs at us daily, we must consciously turn from it, and turn towards God.  This is being a living sacrifice.

So, let’s look at how this amazing story ends. I want to go back to verse to 17 for a second so we understand the time frame in which everything is happening. Read it with me –

They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and by the eighth day of the month they reached the portico of the Lord. For eight more days they consecrated the temple of the Lord itself, finishing on the sixteenth day of the first month.

2 Chronicles 29:17

All of this transformation happened in just 16 days of Hezekiah becoming King. That alone is amazing, but do you remember how many years Hezekiah’s father reigned and did evil? Ahaz reigned for 16 years. So for 16 years, evil prevailed, producing what seemed a hopeless situation….BUT GOD… As Hezekiah and the people turned their hearts back to the Lord, in just 16 days, order, peace, and righteousness were established. And it says,

Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced that God had prepared the people, since the events took place so suddenly.

2 Chronicles 29:36

 “Is there anything to difficult for God?” NEVER! But the better question to ask is, “Who will turn their heart to God and partner with Him for the miracle?” Let’s shout together a resounding, “YES!”

I believe this message is for us all. Whether we’re in a major trial or not. God is calling us higher with Him – to turn our hearts even more towards Him. God wants to do a suddenly in all of our lives because the suddenlies are not just for us. While God wants to set us free us, even our freedom is for more than just us (Galatians 5:13) When we fall short, God is looking for true repentance in our lives. Not crocodile tears so He can rescue us from our problems and we can go merrily on our way, living as we please. I believe Hezekiah experienced the suddenly because he saw the bigger picture. It wasn’t just to escape their problems, but to reestablish Godly order in the Kingdom. Because of Hezekiah’s heart, God used him to rule and reign in a way that would deliver the people and set things right.  Did you know this is the very purpose of our lives as well? As joint heirs of God’s Kingdom, we’re called to rule and reign on earth too; to establish the Kingdom, restore Godly order, peace and righteousness. We’re called to live in a way that would point others to Jesus and inspire them to turn their hearts towards God.

If you’re going through a trial right now, let this story be your roadmap to freedom. Allow God to work on your heart and bring the true and lasting change in your life, so that you could not only walk in freedom but pave the way of freedom for others. If you’re not currently in a trial, let this also be a roadmap for your life of turning your heart towards God in a greater way and being that living sacrifice each day. Let’s all allow this story to inspire us to partner with God and see the miracles in our lives and those in our spheres of influence. God is calling us higher. Would you join with me in consecrating our lives once again to the Lord? And together let’s dream of the amazing suddenlies God will do around us as we walk more fully committed to Him!