June 24th, 21

Today’s reading is II Kings 11- 12, II Chronicles 24, and I Timothy 6.  We are reading from the New Living Translation.

Seven years is a long time.  Athaliah, the evil queen, ruled the land, and the people of God, for seven long years.  Seven years had passed since she murdered her own grandchildren.  She was a chip off the old block.  She was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel.  She was evil and she wore the crown for 7 years.  It may seem that after 7 years, things would always be as they were and would not change.

But, as we learn from the story of Joash,  things are not always as they seem and will not always be as they are. God’s kingdom is advancing – even when evil is wearing the crown.  Hidden away, out of sight, inside the temple, is a son.  And at just the right time, he will be revealed.  Just when it seems that things will not change, we see that God has been at work. Soon, the son, Joash,  will have the crown placed on his head and he will take his rightful place on the throne.  And the evil, that once seemed so entrenched, will be done away with.

In this moment we see an incomplete but compelling picture, of what God is up to.  It’s a picture of God at work, behind the scenes.  Ultimately, Joash is not the king we are looking for.  Our King does not falter the way Joash did, later on in his life.  The king who is there waiting to be revealed, to all, is God’s son, Jesus.  And he does not fail.  He is accomplishing all that his father has asked of Him, and he will reign forever.

See, in the pages of Scripture that God is at work behind the scenes.  There is a real King, alive and waiting for just the right time, to appear.  Don’t despair in the face of evil.  Hold on, through the power of His Spirit,  to the hope of his coming.  See and hear, loud and clear – Your king is coming.  God has a plan and he’s working his plan.  

Father, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

You are loved!