2 Chronicles 33:1-20
Reflect
There is a Portuguese expression that says people will turn to God either by “amor” (love), or “dor” (pain). In today’s passage, we see that Manasseh turns to God through pain and great affliction.
Manasseh is one of the most vile kings. His sins spiral down to the most offensive acts imaginable! He adopts and promotes the terrible practices of the pagan peoples of his day, to the point of sacrificing his own sons, killing prophets, and according to history, killing Isaiah.
Once decadence has gone this far, it gets to the point of verse 10, where they do not pay attention to the voice of the Lord. What does God do? He gets Manasseh’s attention by bringing affliction into his life. This extreme distress causes him to humble himself before the Lord, remember his godly heritage, and plea forgiveness and favour.
No one is beyond hope, for God’s mercy reaches those who repent. Manasseh tried to undo many of the evil things he had done, but the huge influence upon his people was hard to reverse.
Apply
May we daily turn to God out of love. Let us always remember that no one is beyond hope of God’s grace when there is humble repentance. May we pray that those who commit and promote evil around us hear God’s voice and turn from their evil ways.
Pastor Jerilyn
Pray
- Pray through the prayer section in our program.
- Pray for Karen Alksne, our Congregational Life Ministry Associate.
- Pray for our Congregational Life Pastor, Mike Bartusek and his family.
- Pray for our Hospitality Coordinator, Irene Dickau.