Today’s Scripture: 2 Chronicles 12:14, NKJV- “And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD.”
This morning as I was praying to the LORD for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done, I was reminded of how the Word of God prepares our hearts.
In 2 Chronicles 12:6 we learn the first step in preparing our hearts. We are told “So the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, “The LORD is righteous.”” (NKJV) We must humble ourselves to begin preparing our hearts properly.
When we consider that the LORD is right and without Him, we are not so right we come with a heart for learning. The LORD prepares our hearts with His Holy Spirit, His Word, and teachers He brings into our lives.
2 Chronicles 12:8 promises that we can learn and come to know the difference between serving the LORD and serving other kingdoms. I find it interesting that in 2 Chronicles 12:9, we are told that the king of Egypt had taken everything from the people of Israel.
It seems for most of us, well at least for me, we must lose everything before we are willing to be humbled to seek the LORD. As we say in recovery circles we must hit our rock bottom. I have walked alongside many addicts over the years, and you can learn to recognize whether or not a person has reached their lowest point. We must be ready and willing.
Until we are sick and tired of being sick and tired, we believe we can manage whatever is taking us down. The moment I admitted that I was an alcoholic, it was like the light switch of humility was flipped. Before that time, I did not believe I was sick. However, the evidence overwhelmed my beliefs.
I humbled myself and made a phone call where I stated for the first time in my life, “Bud, I am an alcoholic, and I do not know what to do.” The voice on the other end of the line promised me that he would help me. His next words were “do not be embarrassed and do not be ashamed because you have a disease. If you had cancer, would you be embarrassed or ashamed?”
Humbled beyond emotion and understanding, we are now ready to learn and prepare our hearts and minds. I am still learning after eighteen years of sobriety that hitting our knees every morning welcomes God to continue to teach and prepare us.
In 2 Chronicles 12:14 we are told that Rehoboam was evil king because “He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the LORD.” (NIV) We must be careful as to where we set our hearts.
When I began doing “positive affirmations” over thirty years ago I learned that I could indeed gain anything I set my heart, soul, and mind on. However, after achieving most material things I had affirmed, I found myself empty and broken. When alcoholism brought me low enough to hit my knees it was there the LORD promised me that every affirmation I would ever need would be found in His Word.
God’s commands prepare our hearts, minds, souls, and strengths to be set on our Creator where we do what is right and impact this world in ways we cannot fathom. Humbling ourselves before the LORD is still the way to prepare our hearts to seek Him. Where are you setting your heart today?
Today’s Prayer: Heavenly Father, I am humbling myself before You now and asking You to prepare my heart for service of Your kingdom. Protect our hearts LORD and guide us with Your Spirit and Commands. Please keep our hearts and minds set on You. Amen.
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