II Chronicles 33:11-19
According to the first verse of this chapter Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king. Ecclesiastes 10:16 says, “Woe to thee O land when thy king is a child.” That is what Manasseh was. When I was 12 I wasn’t even able to control myself let alone a nation. He got into a lot of trouble. His reign was the most idolatrous of those before him. When God spoke he would not listen.
Manasseh was bound and carried to Babylon. He humbled himself, he prayed and God came for him and brought him back into his kingdom. The end of the story is better. He takes away the strange gods and creates a sort of mini revival. However God still didn’t change His mind and would eventually send Judah away to a strange land.
What are we to make of all of this? One thing is it is never too late to pray. We do not have to wait until we are in trouble. In fact we should not wait that long. Samson didn’t pray until his eyes were put out and he was in the hands of the Philistines. David didn’t pray when he had the affair with Bathsheba and killed her husband. Jonah didn’t pray until he found himself in the belly of the whale.
Must we wait until we get in trouble? Previous prayer can keep us from trouble. Constant contact with God is a safety feature.
Manasseh was bound and carried to Babylon. He humbled himself, he prayed and God came for him and brought him back into his kingdom. The end of the story is better. He takes away the strange gods and creates a sort of mini revival. However God still didn’t change His mind and would eventually send Judah away to a strange land.
What are we to make of all of this? One thing is it is never too late to pray. We do not have to wait until we are in trouble. In fact we should not wait that long. Samson didn’t pray until his eyes were put out and he was in the hands of the Philistines. David didn’t pray when he had the affair with Bathsheba and killed her husband. Jonah didn’t pray until he found himself in the belly of the whale.
Must we wait until we get in trouble? Previous prayer can keep us from trouble. Constant contact with God is a safety feature.
