Ecstatically Single

I've been reading in 2 Kings, and the thing that keeps hitting me is personal responsibility: doing what's right, no matter what anyone else is doing. All the way through the book, the kings either "did that which was right" or "did that which was evil." There's no pattern to it. Just because John's dad did what was right didn't guarantee that John would; nor, if he was evil, did it guarantee that he'd learn the lesson and do what was right.

The other morning I read about Josiah; he was one of the kings who did what was right in God's sight. It says that "he turned not side to the right hand or to the left." He repaired the house of God; and while they were doing that, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law. Shaphan the scribe brought it before Josiah and read it to him. Upon hearing it, Josiah rent his clothes. He sent a group to Huldah the prophetess to enquire of God.

She prophesied that God would bring evil upon the nation, because they had forsaken Him. But then she says, "Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before Me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place."

My first thought, when I read the last part, was that it seemed a lot like Hezekiah: "Oh well, whatever; peace and truth will be in my days."

Then I got to thinking: Josiah was a righteous king, and he led the nation in the ways of God. And as he did so, people would follow God; some insincerely; but some would turn to God with all their hearts. In leading them towards God, he made a difference; for a short while, granted, but it would've changed many people's lives and eternal destinies.

The Point: One person can make a difference.

You wouldn't think so. After all, Josiah was just one king in a long, long line.

So what about today? It certainly doesn't feel like I can make a difference. I'm one vote, one lone voice, one insignificant person in a crowd. But what do we look like in God's sight? Josiah " did that which was right in the sight of the Lord." Where it counted.

If there had been just ten righteous people in Sodom, God would've saved the city. Supposing there had been some people in Sodom who knew that following God was right, but they looked around and said, "How can I possibly make a difference?", shrugged their shoulders, and got on with their lives. Supposing this scenario is true, they could've made a difference to an entire civilization. Just ten people.

One more thing: the darker it is, the brighter a tiny speck of light shines.

Challenged,
Jenn