It Only Takes One

You have probably heard the story of King Josiah of Judah. If not, you can read the whole story in 2 Kings 22-23 and 2 Chronicles 34-35. He was the son of King Amon and the grandson of King Manasseh. Both of these kings were wicked and did not honor God. Suffice it to say that Josiah was not in a good position as he began his reign at age eight after his father was assassinated.

2 Kings 22:2 says this of Josiah: “And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or the left.”

By the time he was 26-years-old, he had turned a godless and depraved nation back to honoring and following God.

Let’s list some of the things he did in spite of great opposition and threat.

• He raised money to repair the temple.
• During the renovation, they found the long-forgotten Book of the Law.
• When he read the truth of God’s Word, he called the nation to a time of mourning and repentance.
• In addition to the time of repentance, he took physical action to cleanse his nation.
• He cleansed the temple of all pagan symbols.
• He destroyed all pagan temples and killed their false priests.
• He restored the observance of the Passover.
• He removed soothsayers and witches from the land.

2 Kings 23:25 states: “Before him, there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all of his soul and with all of his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.”

What can we learn from the life and actions of King Josiah? First, we see that age has nothing to do with courage or the ability to affect incredible change. You may think you are too young or too old to do anything significant for the Lord or to make needed changes in your life. You could not be more wrong! When we as Christians decide to have the courage and do the right things, the godly things, then we WILL experience tremendous victory in our lives.

Second, when you are courageous enough to trust God with all of your heart you need not fear going it alone. You don’t need other people to support your cause when you are following the Word of God.

Third, 2 Kings 22:19 says, “‘Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken…I also have heard you,’ declares the Lord.” When we live our lives according to God’s Word and faithfully trust Him with all of our hearts, we have the courage we need to do great things for Him. Amen!

Questions for Thought

1. What is one area in your life where you need the courage to change, even though it may not be popular with your friends and family?
2. What “idols” in your life do you need to throw out once and for all?

Daily Challenge

Courage requires discipline. Commit to spend time in God’s Word today and every day this week to build spiritual strength and confidence. Daily commitments create lifelong habits.