August 03, 2022
Daily Devotion:
"Hezekiah's Prayer"
2 Chronicles 30:18-20
New International Version
18 Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone 19 who sets their heart on seeking God—the Lord, the God of their ancestors—even if they are not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.” 20 And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.
God is notorious for rule making and rule breaking. Just when we think we know how God will react in any given situation, he surprises us. When he's a stickler for rules, it is always for the good. When he makes or condones exceptions to the rule, that too is good. Not unexpectedly, God's wisdom in knowing when to do what is far beyond our ability to do the same, but that doesn't mean we don't have our own part to play in the process. Imitating God is the goal. Incorporating his ways into our ways is a mark of spiritual maturity. And so we spend the first years of our lives being taught the rules, and the rest of our lives learning how to judge between strict obedience and discerning noncompliance.
It gets even more interesting when we move to the next level, involving those other than ourselves. Hezekiah's prayer exposes a heart gracious toward those who desire to seek God, but in imperfect ways. There is no plea for God to permanently change the rules. Hezekiah is praying that God recognize the obvious-that sometimes, as here, there is only a temporary glitch, where something normally unauthorized is done to get back on track. At other times, seekers may even be badly mistaken about the rules but would obey them completely if they were simply taught the way of the Lord more perfectly. Whatever the problem, it is Hezekiah's heart for seekers that comes ringing through loud and clear. Instead of being quick to condemn, the heart that consciously prays on behalf of well-intentioned seekers is a heart able to bring them closer to God.
The question for concerned hearts is: What struggling seekers come to mind on whose behalf should be praying?
