Clear the Clutter

"Clear the clutter" is the notification I often get on my phone that suggests I should delete some of the unwanted things in the phone. Just a matter of few clicks and all the clutter will be cleared. How easy is that !! I wish it was that easy to do in life as well. 

Today I would like to take you to one such instance in the Bible where a clear the clutter operation was performed. The young energetic king Hezekiah at the age of 25 took the throne and started reigning. But unlike his wicked father king Ahaz who had shut the door of the temple of God and did every kind of evil ; Hezekiah did what was right in the sight of God and followed the path of his forefather David. What a good testimony he was able to keep inspite of his negative circumstances.

This world always tells us "Like father, Like son ". But it is not so and king Hezekiah is the proof. You always have the power to choose- "the willful choice". It amazes me how king Hezekiah was able to overcome all those negative circumstances of his life that could pull him away from God and how he willfully chose to do what is right and good. Yes he overcame evil with good. I am sure it must have been really hard for him to bring this nation wide revival, to undo all the wickedness of his father.

But as we read about him -He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses. The Lord was with him; he prospered wherever he went. 

II Kings 18:5‭-‬7 ‬

You can imagine Hezekiah holding tightly God's hand, following His footstep, not even turning to his left or right, focusing his eyes only on God rather than his negative circumstances, and listening and obeying only to God's voice. 

We live in a world where we are often surrounded by people who influence our life in a bad way, we see the closed doors of the house of God, lack of praise, worship, personal quite time and many things that can take us away from God and deviate us from obeying His word. The fearful circumstances around us ,the isolation, increasing number of deaths can fill us with fear than faith.  No matter what our circumstances are but like Hezekiah may God help us to overcome every evil, rise above every negative circumstances and willfully choose to trust Him, follow Him and do what is right in His sight.

All his life he witnessed the wickedness of his father and it's consequences on the whole land. Now it's high time to clear the clutter that his father had made. 

In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them.

II Chronicles 29:3

King Hezekiah opened the door of the temple first. He had a God first attitude. He teaches us to put God first and make spiritual priorities. I am a kind of person who will always wait for a comfortable and convenient time where I would not be disturbed to be in the presence of God. But in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of the day that convenient time would never come. This is where God touched me to put God first. To be with God even if it costs your sleep. Begin your day with God. Open the door of your heart to God first. Repair what is broken. 

Yes we need to open and repair it!! As we open the door of our heart to God first and fill it with His word, no matter what negative circumstances the day brings to us, we will be able to face it and fight it with the help of God's word. Are you filling your heart with God's word ?

As we read further, we see how king Hezekiah is calling the Levites and priests to sanctify and clean the temple. He acknowledges that we have fallen and the wrath of God is because of turning our backs to God. In short we must consider how far we have fallen. And the only way we can see the clutter is thought the mirror of word of God. 

Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

Revelation 2:5

Holy God cannot stay in a temple full of filth. It took sixteen days for the Levites to clear the clutter. You can imagine how much filth would have accumulated in the temple of God when the people of God became negligent and turned their face away from God. A little neglect can create great problems in the long run!! A spark as small as it seems can create a mighty fire . Are we being negligent in maintaining this holy temple of God?May God help us to take a deeper dig into our lives and to consider how far we have fallen. Opening the door is not enough, cleaning and taking the rubbish out is important !! 

Then Hezekiah answered and said, “Now that you have consecrated yourselves to the Lord, come near, and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the Lord.”

II Chronicles 29:31

God desires the worship and praise from a heart that is cleared from all the clutter. The offering from a sànctified heart is well pleasing to the Lord. 

Here is a call to each one of us - 

My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that you should minister to Him and burn incense.”

II Chronicles 29:11 

Yes let us not be negligent and turn away from God. The Christian life is a daily battle. Every day we need to open the door of our heart to God first and fill it with God's word so that we can empty it of every kind of malice. Every day we may be faced with many negative circumstances that can deviate us from following God. Let us not be negligent and keep a regular check in our heart if any filth is being accumulated. May God help us to overcome every evil with good and may we live as the chosen Holy vessel of God.