I don’t think I’m really one for “formula-matic” Christianity. Our God is somewhat unpredictable. Not that He is unfaithful . . . nor is He contradictory . . . nor is He constantly changing . . . just that when you deal with a God whose ways are higher than your ways, you can’t presume to have Him all figured out and slot Him into a certain course of action based on your understanding. So, I’m not much of one for “If you do this, then God will do that” . . or, “Follow these 3 simple steps and this will be the outcome.” Having said that, there’s no doubt that Scripture often presents “cause and effect” sorts of connections . . . fundamental principles which are true. One jumped off the page at me this morning as I read in 2Kings.

I was reading about King Hezekiah this morning. King of Judah at 25 years old . . . one of the few kings who “did what was right in the sight of the Lord” (2Kings 18:3). A testimony of God’s grace right there because his dad, King Ahaz, was a bad, bad, king (check out 2Kings 16). But despite his upbringing . . . even though he hadn’t seen “pursuing God” modeled well in his home . . . Hezekiah determined to live for the Lord. He removed the places of pagan worship his father had established . . . and he cut down wooden images that had been erected as objects of worship . . . he even “broke in pieces the bronze serpent Moses had made” as it had become an idol before which the people burned incense (18:4).

But here are the “dots” that connected for me this morning . . . the “cause and effect” which rang true . . . the simple principle that challenged me through the life of this king . . .

“[Hezekiah] trusted in the LORD God of Israel (18:5) . . . For he held fast to the LORD (18:6) . . . The LORD was with him (18:7) . . . ”

Pretty simple, huh? But pretty true. This dynamic marked Hezekiah’s reign. Not that he didn’t have his moments of failure . . . but at it’s foundation, Hezekiah’s life was marked by trusting in the Lord, holding fast to the Lord, and the Lord making known His presence throughout the king’s life.

Because Hezekiah trusted in the Lord and clung to the Lord, he went against popular opinion and practice and tore down the places of idol worship that had been become such a normal part of the kingdom. When the Assyrians called upon him to surrender or face their unstoppable, conquering army, Hezekiah turned to the Lord . . . and cried out to the Lord . . . trusting in his God for deliverance . . . holding fast to His God in the face of a certain “no win” situation . . . and then seeing the hand of God acting on his behalf as the great Assyrian army descending upon Judah woke up one morning to find 185,000 dead in their midst (19:35).

For those who trust and hold fast, God’s presence will be known. Not that, because I trust and I hold fast, everything always turns out how I think it should . . . not that I “always win” . . . not that I necessarily find myself on “easy street” . . . that’s the unpredictable part. But to know the Lord is with those who by faith cling to Him . . . with those who desire to pursue Him . . . with those who determine, as much as lies in them, to be faithful to Him and to His word. To know that, at your core, that He who is with us and in us is greater than he who is in the world (1John 4:4) . . . convinced that we are more than conquerors through Him who has loved us (Rom. 8:37) . . . and has promised to never to leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). . . committed to finishing the work He has begun in us (Php. 1:6).

Simple principle . . . profound reality. Trust and obey . . . for there’s no other way . . .