For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page.
2 Thes. 1
Pray v. 11-12 over yourself and those you love today. Paul practices in this letter to the Thessalonians what he preached in the first. He is helping them to stay the course and run to win. First he commends them for doing what he encouraged them to do in the first letter – grow in faith and increase in love for one another. He then offers them assurance that God will, in due time, give their tormentors what they have coming. Finally, he prays that God would give them the power to live the good life they want so much to live.
Whether or not we are persecuted for living for Christ, life is full of struggle. There are tensions and distractions on every side that seek to pull us away from the God we love and serve. It can be hard to live a committed, faithful life in the midst of all of that. We can’t do it alone. First, we need to pray for ourselves and for each other “that our God may make [us] worthy of His calling, and that by His power He may bring to fruition [our] every desire for goodness and [our] every deed prompted by faith.” (2 Thes. 1:11b). Second, we need to encourage and build each other up by reminding each other of God’s truth and refuting lies and fear. Together, with God, we’ve got this!
2 Kings 21-22
After Manasseh’s disastrous reign, what sparked the spiritual renewal under Josiah? What could you do to encourage revival? Why did Manasseh succeed Hezekiah as king? He was only 12. Surely Hezekiah had older sons! Can you tell at the age of 12 what kind of leader somebody will be? One thing that did occur to me is that, at 12 years old, Manasseh would have been born to Hezekiah after God gifted him with an extra 15 years. I wonder if that influenced Hezekiah’s decision. You would think he would want to select the son who had the greatest heart for God and was least likely to let the influence of the power of the throne turn him away.
I see Manasseh’s age was not the primary issue for his failure to be a Godly leader, though. Josiah was only eight and was not the first righteous king to start at an early age. Makes me wonder what caused one young king to commit his rule to God and another to turn away. Perhaps it was the influence of the mother?
I don’t really know if Hezekiah is the one who selected Manasseh to succeed him. But it says that the people of the land selected Josiah, Manasseh’s grandson. Why would they select an eight year old? His father was only 24 when he was killed, so maybe Josiah was the only option, or at least the firstborn. Whatever the case, somebody must have had a strong, Godly influence in this young man’s life because he gave himself completely to God.
Ps. 71
What does it mean for you to take refuge in the Lord? How will you do it today? “As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.” (Ps. 71:14). I love that statement because I know that my having hope is not dependent on me. Typically when we hope for something we don’t know if it will come to pass or not. But this isn’t about hoping for something; it is about hoping in someone. Christ is my hope, and He is a sure hope that will not fail. I can trust that God will do what He said He would do through Christ because, by His very nature, God cannot break His covenant. And nothing is too difficult for God. So when I put my trust in Christ, even when I despair I will always have hope, because Christ will never leave me.