The Person God Accompanies
(2 Kings 18:1-8)

People always want to succeed in what he or she is doing. However the real success of Christians is when God is with us in our life. The king Hezekiah was the person whom God was always with. Whenever he was in trouble, he gained victory because God was with him. To live a successful life in our life, we should be the person accompanied by God.

1. The person who is acknowledged by God
The person who lives a life recognized by God is the one whom God is with. The king Hezekiah was seemed to be honest by God. He was very different from his father, the king Ahaz, who was absorbed in idolatry. When he was in danger of declining of Judah due to the second attacks caused by Assyria or when he was sick waiting his death, he trusted God alone, praying hard. Then, God listened to his prayer. God sent the angel to defeat the soldiers of Assyria and prolonged his life more than 15 years. Likewise when we live a life recognized by God, He will listen to our prayer.

2. The person who removes idols
To be recognized by God, we should remove all the idols in our life. When the king Hezekiah ascended to the throne, the fate of his nation was doomed to be declined because on injustice and idolatry. At that moment, he removed the high places, smashed all the idols to clean the temple, and initiated the religious reformation by celebrating the Passover again. We should remove idols that we love more than God and recover the first love toward God in order to be recognized by God.

3. The person who keeps and obeys the Word
The person whom God accompanies is the one who keeps and obeys the Word constantly. When the nation was in danger caused by the attacks of Assyria, Hezekiah kept the Word of God with all his heart and followed it to overcome the threat. The person who keeps and obeys the Word of God can be united with God. When we are united with God, our life will be peaceful and prosperous because God is with us. Therefore we should read, meditate, keep, and follow the Word of God all the time.

What kinds of dangers attack you? Be honest before God and trust Him alone so that you can be recognized by God. Get rid of idols in your life which you have cherished more than God. I pray that all of you may become the person who God is with and enjoy the prosperous blessings by always keeping and obeying the Word of God.