2 Chronicles 32:1: “After these deeds of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered Judah; he encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them over to himself.”

October 19th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

It is interesting to notice that King Hezekiah had amassed a long list of spiritual accomplishments: reopening the temple, tearing down false idols, reorganizing the priesthood, and restoring the altar of sacrifice in the temple. And yet, in spite of all these good things, in spite of all his faithfulness in doing God’s will, the enemy Sennacherib still came.

Have you ever experienced this in your own life? You try to do your best, attend church regularly, raise your kids the best you can, and study your Bible. You even throw in a little “loving your fellow man,” and yet for some reason God still allows problems to flood your life: sickness, financial problems, relationship struggles, and even the death of loved ones. God allows bad to come to believers. But why do bad things happen to God’s people? The obvious answer is that bad experiences are not just limited to bad people, because we are still surrounded by a sinful world. It is as Jesus said, “He makes His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matt. 5:45).

On this side of eternity, we will not understand everything. Not so much because our Father enjoys keeping us in the dark, but because we do not currently have the capacity to absorb so much light. Someday we will be able to, once we are on the other side of the doorway. In the meantime, our life is a little like a golf ball. I read that the early manufacturers of golf balls originally made them with smooth outer covers, something like a ping-pong ball. However, it was discovered that after a ball had been roughed up, knocked around the course a few times, a golfer got more distance out of it and it tracked straighter. So the manufacturers started putting dimples on the outer covers, as we see them today. It is the same way in your life, believer. It often takes the rough spots of life to enable you to travel farther and straighter.

“LORD, we choose to follow hard after You this day, in Jesus’ name.”