Broken, Flawed, and Destined for Greatness!
August 8, 2018·Carmen Quevedo
I don’t know about you, but every time my Bible reading journey brings me through the accounts of the Old Testament kings, my head spins! I feel like it’s one big epic movie, where the costumes and names all look and sound alike, and I want to cover my eyes and ears because the war scenes are so gory, the slaughter widespread and the villains become the heroes, only to return to being villains. Aah! But this is when I find myself stopping in my tracks and saying, “Lord, this isn’t easy for me. I know you have a lesson for me to learn here today. Show me what that is.”
Generally, as soon as I admit my challenge with understanding His Word, something simple pops right off the page! That happened today, as I was reading 2 Chronicles 19. Jehu the prophet tells King Jehoshaphat:
“Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, the wrath of the Lord is on you. There is, however, some good in you, for you have rid the land of the Asherah poles and have set your heart on seeking God.”
The rest of the chapter goes on to tell us that Jehoshaphat did some good things. He appointed judges and made sure they understood their verdict represented God, admonishing them that, as such, justice had to prevail and there could be no partiality or bribery; he turned the people back to God; he fortified cities in Judah. All of this from a guy that had just been told the wrath of God was upon him.
There was nothing perfect about Jehoshaphat. He was flawed. And God used him to accomplish great things. In fact, don’t miss chapter 20, his humanity is shown for all to see. Short version: he was afraid; he put it before the Lord; God fought the battle; they won! Verse 32 tells us that “he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” And then, the chapter goes on to tell us some not so great things he did. He was human, just like us. Broken, flawed, and destined for greatness.
How easy is it to stop in our flaws and failures and never realize the things God wants to do in and through us? I get the feeling Jehoshaphat knew he had some significant flaws, but he also had a humility that was willing to submit to the will of the Lord and choose to do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a long list of flaws. I want to be a person who humbly submits them to the Lord and chooses to do what is right in His sight. Let’s try it today!
Pastor Carmen Quevedo
