2 Chronicles 28:27
“And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city,
even in Jerusalem: but they brought him not into the sepulchres of the
kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.”
One of the greatest revivals in Judah’s history was under the reign of Hezekiah. Every Christian who has a heart for God who reads about the moving of God among His people reacts with delight and hunger for God to do the same in their day.
How God moved among the people of Judah in Hezekiah’s reign is nothing short of miraculous considering the opposition that he faced among those who didn’t like the change, and among those who doubted the veracity of the change.
One thing that is missed in Hezekiah’s story is his home life. Truly, the revival seems to be the main story, but maybe the bigger story is the home in which he lived as a child. His father was Ahaz. Ahaz was one of the most godless men who sat on the throne of Judah apart from Ahab. Ahaz destroyed the vessels of the house of God and built altars throughout Judah for his false gods.
What is often forgotten in this story is Hezekiah’s mother, Abijah. Abijah’s name means, “Worshipper of God.” This is where Hezekiah’s childhood was complex. He had a dad who hated God and lived wickedly, but he also had a mother who worshiped God and did everything she could to help her son turn out right for the LORD. It truly came down to a choice as the reason Hezekiah turned out right for the LORD. He had every excuse to hate the LORD and not serve Him, but he chose to serve the LORD in spite of what he lived through as a child.
Let me challenge every person who has grown up in a split home environment, or who is living in a split home; you can turn out right for the LORD if you choose. Just because your home life is not the picture-perfect home, you can do right if you choose to do right. The fact that you are reading this devotional gives credence that you have some good influences in your life. You can choose to use your split-home environment as an excuse to rebel against the LORD, or you can take the right influences you have and let them guide you to do right. Just because you live in a split home doesn’t give you an excuse to do wrong. God holds you accountable for what you do with the good influences you do have in your life.
Moreover, every person who has grown up or is living in a home where both parents are serving the LORD, has no excuse to rebel against the LORD. I’m tired of people blaming their godly parents as the reason of their rebellion. No, the reason you are rebelling is because you chose to rebel. God has blessed you with parents and a home where both parents are trying their best to serve the LORD, and you certainly have no excuse for going after the world. Are your parents perfect? Absolutely not; but neither did the person who grew up in a split home and chose to follow the LORD have perfect parents. The only reason you want to go the way of the world is not because of what your parents have done or are doing. The reason you are going after the world is because you choose to go after the world.
It ultimately comes down to an individual’s choice as to whether they serve the LORD. It is not the parent’s fault when a young person rebels, but it is their choice to rebel. If Hezekiah can grow up in a split home and do right, so can you. Let me encourage you to be the example of doing right in spite of your background.