Key Verse: 2 Chronicles 22:12
And he (Joash) was hidden with them in the house of God for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

Jehu was carrying out judgment on the land. Ahaziah was caught and killed because, as they said, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat who sought the Lord with all his heart” (22:9). It seemed as if all the descendants of Jehoshaphat were to be slain, but into the picture stepped Jehoshabeth, the king’s daughter. She rescued Joash, then one year old, and hid him in the Temple. Six years later Joash was anointed king. The enemies of God will try to thwart God’s plan, but it was not God’s will for the righteous influence in the royal family to cease. God had prepared Jehoshabeth and Jehoiada, the high priest, to intervene. Joash was hidden in the Temple for six years.

We learn from this story of God’s love and His power to provide for His people. Sometimes we wonder how God could possibly make a way through a seemingly impossible situation. But He does! For a New Testament reading today, we may want to read about what would seem to be an impossible situation, the shipwreck of Acts 27:13-44.

This morning I’ve been singing two hymns, “Rock of Ages” and “Hiding in Thee.” The words of the first are, “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee,” and the second are, “Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee, thou blessed Rock of Ages, I’m hiding in Thee” (click here for a medley of these two beautiful hymns). There have been times when I had to hide from the pressures and influences of the world. One such occasion was when a sergeant of the Hamilton, Ontario, city police told me that the average age of the lawbreaker with whom they were dealing was just 12. My heart was broken for the children of our city. I withdrew to my bedroom for a week to fast and pray. Norma-Jean would bring me water and join me from time to time. Directly out of that time of hiding in God came our children’s television ministry, Circle Square, and out of those telecasts came the Circle Square Ranches, where over the years, approximately 250,000 children and teens have spent at least a week each. It’s estimated that around 100,000 of them made first-time decisions to give their lives to Jesus. This Summer I intend to “hide away” and spend much more time hiding in God’s presence. I turn 81 on August 13th, and I need to hear from God about the future!