We can learn much from the life of King Hezekiah.
He did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done. He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made . . . He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him . . . For he clung to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses. . . . And the LORD was with him; wherever he went he prospered (2 Kings 18 NASB).
Okay, you may say, that’s great, but what has this to do with me? I don’t offer sacrifices to other gods. I don’t have any high places or bronze serpents. Really?
A high place is anything or anyone you put above God in importance. Here are some modern-day examples: TV, cars, clothing, jewelry, a boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife, children, grandchildren, a house, success, youth, fame, beauty, alcohol, drugs, sex, money, partying, movie stars, etc. . . . If you’re not sure if you have any high places, ask yourself, “What do I think about most of the time?”
A bronze serpent is anything that is a substitute for God. Anything or anyone you depend on instead of God. It is the thing or person you run to when you have a problem. The thing or person in whom you put your security and rely on the most. Here’s some modern day examples: bank account, stock market, husband, wife, boyfriend, parent, best friend, fame, your personality, your looks, etc. Again, ask yourself to what or whom do you run when you are in trouble? What do you do to get yourself out of trouble?
If you answered the above questions with anything but God, I encourage you to do what Hezekiah did and remove the high places in your life and then break apart the bronze serpent. Both are lies from the pit of hell. They can’t help you. They can’t save you. They will cause you only grief.
Instead, trust in the Lord. Cling to the Lord. Obey His commandments. Perhaps God will do for you what He did for Hezekiah:
And the LORD was with him; wherever he went he prospered (2 Kings 18:7a NKJV).
But how do we cling to the Lord? What does cling even mean?
To stick to, to hold tight by grasping or embracing; to cleave, to be or remain close.
Recently, certain issues in my family have really brought me down. Have you ever felt battle weary, confused, discouraged about a particular situation? Perhaps it’s something you’ve been praying about for years, and instead of getting better, things seem only to be getting worse. In those cases, all you can really do is cling to God and trust in Him. At those times, I picture myself on my knees grabbing onto His cloak and never letting go. Normally, that’s when I hear His voice all the more clearly saying, “Trust me,” and a magnificent peace covers me.
If you’re in a situation today that has brought discouragement and weariness into your life, tear down those high places, break apart any serpents in your life and put your trust in God. If you don’t know what else to do, simply cling to Him. He promises to be with you. He will come through for you. Turn to Him and see!
MaryLu Tyndall