Over the course of the summer in FL we will spend some time looking at life lessons from various kings of Israel. This past week we talked about Hezekiah, and how he was a man who trusted God, and lived a life of prayer. In a discussion the next day with a couple of students, I saw a need for people to think a little more deeply. It seems like a no brainer that people should live lives that reflect a deep trust for God, and to be consistently praying.
A couple of students started talking about whether an elected leader who was of a faith should bring their faith into their work, or check it at the door and focus on accurately representing what the constituents wanted to see done in leadership. The students philosophized over the pros and cons of both sides (a good exercise in itself). When I suggested that they might look at Hezekiah's life and see what they might glean from examining the lives of leaders in scripture for a clue.
What emerged was that if Hezekiah gave the people what they wanted, there would still have been idols in the temple, and altars in the high places. But he could have been really good at praying still. Instead, Hezekiah made decisions based on his faith, for the good of all people. He couldn't check his faith at the door. After all, is it really a consistent faith, if it is merely based on circumstance, and isolated to become the private compartment of our lives. If what we believe about anything is true, then it should impact all of our lives. Not just an isolated area.
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