“In his time of trouble, King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the Lord.”
~~ 2 Chronicles 28:22 ~~
Times of trouble hit us all. No one is exempt. Jesus warned us of this when He said, ““...in this world you will have trouble…”, (Matthew 16:33). So the question is not “if” trouble will come, but rather “how” will it affect you when it does.
In our key verse, we are told how King Ahaz reacted to his times of trouble – he “became even more unfaithful to the Lord”. Verse 23 gives us the “how” when it says, “He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus…for he thought, ‘since the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me’.”
As I pondered Ahaz’s choices, the Spirit prompted me to take off my “judgy pants” and instead take an honest look at myself. When times of trouble hit my life, is God my immediate “go to”? Or do I turn to other things or people to ease my troubles? Such conviction settled into my heart and mind as I sat in those questions for a bit.
I’m going to be painfully honest with you. I find that, when trouble hits, (trouble in the physical world like car trouble, broken appliances, etc.), I just kick it into gear and do what needs doing.
When it comes to trouble, the “thinking” part of dealing with it seems to come naturally. If it’s broken, get it fixed. But what about the “feelings” part that arises when trouble hits?
I don’t know about you, but feelings are much harder to manage than fixing a flat or calling a repairman to fix the fridge.
Where feelings are concerned, my mantra has always been, “it’s ok to have a feeling, but don’t allow the feeling to have you.” That sounds easy enough, right? Wrong. Trust me. Managing feelings is hard.
I find myself sitting here thinking through the progression from feelings to wrong actions. Is it “thinking-feeling-action” or “feeling-thinking-action”? To be honest, I’m not sure, but right now the Spirit is directing me to James 1:14, “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.” Indulge me a minute. I’m gonna dig into this verse for a minute.
“Tempted” <peirazō> means to try or test one’s faith, virtue, character, by enticing them to sin. It’s important to note that “tempted” is (present, passive, indicative) which means that it’s happening “in the now” – that you are the receiver of the action – that it indicates everyone deals with “temptation”. “Carried away” <exelkō> means to draw out or to draw away. “Carried away” is (present, passive, participle) which means that it’s happening “in the now” – that you are the receiver of the “carried away” – and that it is something that is on-going (a participle is an “-ing” word). It’s like saying you are presently be-ING drawn away. “Enticed” <deleazō> (also present, passive, participle) means to catch by bait or to beguile by coaxing or to deceive with soothing words or false promises.
My “feelings” trip me up a lot, and without cognitive thought, I then am “tempted –”carried away” – “enticed” to turn to other things to help me make it through my trouble. But here’s some hard truth that God is showing me right now. When I turn to other things, I’m turning away from God. How’s that for a sobering reality?
Being brutally honest here, I started off journaling in the mindset of “I can’t believe King Ahaz would do that!” But after some nudging by the Spirit toward some introspection, I have come to realize that, just like King Ahaz, I too have the tendency to turn to or be drawn toward other things before my God.
Oh Lord, I’m so very sorry. Please help me where my feelings are concerned. I’m so sorry that there are times when my feelings take over, and I chose other things over You. You are the God of all comfort, and still I lose sight of that fact, blinded by my emotional fog. May the light of Your Truth clear the fog caused by my emotions. I desire that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in Your sight. Please enable me to rein in the “feelings” and follow You wholeheartedly.