2 Chronicles 22:4: “Therefore [Ahaziah] did evil in the sight of the LORD, like the house of Ahab; for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction.”

October 9th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Jehoram’s son, Ahaziah, was king for less than two years. 2 Kings 9 records his death. He was fatally wounded while trying to escape northwest to Megiddo by chariot. After he died, his body was carried to Jerusalem for burial. We know very little about this evil king beyond the shortness of his reign and the statement that “he did evil in the sight of the LORD.”

Years ago, British pastor Alan Redpath shared that at one point in his life he was so busy, he had 2 years of speaking engagements booked, that he didn’t even have time to pray. Then he had a stroke that left him unable to speak for 2 years. He said the irony was that for those 2 years, he couldn’t do anything but pray. At the end of the 2-year period, he was reading his Bible and came to Psalm 39:9–10: “I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it. Remove thy stroke away from me” (KJV). As he read that prayer, he was healed. He said, “It was God’s stroke, and it was given to show me that I wasn’t to preach messages that I couldn’t cover in prayer.”

Diseases and death are the result of sin entering into the world through Adam’s failure. God uses the reality of death and disease to remind us that everyone dies and that we have to be ready for the life to come. As we come to understand how short our time on earth really is, we become more careful with the time we have left.

“LORD, we want to live today as if we are on the edge of eternity. Give us opportunities to share Your love with others so that they might find eternal life.”