Key Verse: 2 Chronicles 26:5
He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.

The history of Judah is like a roller coaster. Two Kings, Uzziah, and his son Jotham, did what was right. God blessed them and all of Judah. The grandson, Ahaz, did evil when he became king, and we’ve learned by now that when God is not honoured and wanted, He withdraws and the result is disaster. Let’s look more closely at the action and the results. (1) Uzziah “sought the Lord.” Result – “God made him to prosper.” (2) Jotham “prepared his ways before the Lord his God.” Result – “He became mighty.” (3) Ahaz “became increasingly unfaithful to the Lord.” Result – “The ruin of him and all Israel.”

Let us not despair. We expect to meet a truly Godly leader in tomorrow’s reading, Uzziah’s great-grandson, Hezekiah.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Father God, grant grace and wisdom to me that I may influence family members and others in Your ways of doing what is right in Your sight. I pray that I may successfully communicate the fact that You will not force Your blessings on those who, by their free will, turn away from You and from doing what is right in Your sight. Grant Your favour upon us all I pray fervently. In Jesus’ Name I ask these requests, Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:
I have a Bible open beside me as I type, and when I think about it, I’m amazed by some of the stories and people that have made that possible. For example, we rarely hear of Myles Coverdale. He made a complete translation of the Bible into English 76 years before the King James authorized version was published. The impact of Coverdale’s translation on the English language is immense! William Shakespeare quoted approximately 2,500 verses out of this amazing translation in his plays. Shakespeare’s plays were performed in outdoor theatres to hundreds of thousands of people during, and after, his lifetime. Many of these statements have passed into our language without people knowing their source. Of course, there were others, such as William Tyndale and John Wycliffe, who made amazing efforts to get God’s Word to everyone. Before the Latin translation by Jerome was made the official Bible of the Roman Empire, there may have been as many as 200 other languages into which at least part of the Scriptures had been translated and written on sheep’s skin or papyrus. I highly treasure my Bible. For that reason, I’m making this daily blog with the prayer that others, who may not otherwise read the Bible in depth from cover to cover with a measure of understanding, will do so and be blessed! (click here for more information on Myles Coverdale).

Yours for a greater appreciation of our Bibles,

David