A Heart to Seek God
2 Chronicles 30:18-19 After years of foregoing the Passover, King Hezikiah reinstates it, but it was observed so quickly that some did not have time to prepare, so he prays for inner cleansing. Like the people of Judah, what matters for us is what is in the inside.
6/19/20262 min read
For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good LORD provide atonement for everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. 2 Chronicles 30:18-19 (NKJV)
After cleansing the temple, King Hezikiah reinstated the Passover, which had not been celebrated according to the way it was written since the time of King Solomon, about 250 years earlier. He had to celebrate it on the second month because he did not have enough of the priests consecrated to celebrate on the traditional first month of the religious year. The leaders were happy that it was happening, so they approved it and runners were sent to all of Israel to announce the celebration. Those that came from distant parts of Israel that did not get to sanctify themselves, but ate of the Passover, feeling it was better to obey the spirit of the Passover than its letter. Hezikiah prayed for God to see their hearts, and God healed the people.
What comes from the inside matters more to God than if we are dressed in a suit for church. We have to dress ourselves from the inside out. When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus told the Pharisees in Matthew 22:37–39, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ When we are loving God with all our hearts, we are doing what matters to God and seeking Him first, loving others sacrificially, living in faith and obedience, and pursuing holiness.
Choose to have a heart to seek God, earnestly pursuing a personal relationship with Him, aligning your desires with His will, and prioritizing Him above all else. Start each morning communicating with God, expressing your desires, gratitude and dependance on Him. Read and reflect on the bible daily, aligning your life with His will, and engage with other believers to strengthen and help you keep on a path that builds His kingdom. It doesn't matter what you have or who you are to God, but it matters that you have a heart for Him, which shows more than any article of clothing that you may wear to church.