February 2, 2023

Passage Read: 2 Kings 12-15
Meditation Verse: 15:34

Thought

Uzziah/Azariah was afflicted with leprosy at some point in his reign until the day of his death, yet he was considered faithful to the Lord. He didn't let his disease embitter him against the Lord, but served the Lord as best he could throughout his days. He knew he had done wrong and the Lord had justly punished him, so he was humbled as God intended, but did not receive healing from the Lord. Still he honored the Lord all his days.

Application

That's a good lesson for me. Even if I must be humbled and chastened the rest of my days, I must not let bitterness get the better of me. If I have done wrong, and the Lord afflicts me until the end of my days, He is just and gracious, and I need to recognize that. He is Lord and even His discipline is evidence of His love, not His hatred, of me. Indeed, I deserve worse from His hand, but He has promised me eternity in His glorious kingdom. Any affliction is only temporary, and will be forgotten in eternity.