April 7 I Sunday

1 Samuel 7-9

Luke 9:18-36

“In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David.”   

—2 Chronicles 34:3

An important factor of Josiah’s reign in Judah was having a spiritual mentor. As a descendant of King David, Josiah had no doubt heard many stories. Historical records held accounts of David’s life, and Josiah would have read the heart of David poured out in the Psalms, prompting a spiritual awakening in his own heart.

Our appetite for God is often whetted by someone we see who clearly knows God, trusts Him and experiences Him. Many years ago, an elderly man, once a captain in World War I, spoke at a youth gathering I attended. He said something that has stuck with me ever since. “What you are when you are 20, you will probably be for the rest of your life.” I happened to be 20 at the time, and it scared me silly, but there is truth to what he said.

As we get older, the harder it is to sort ourselves out because we have already carved deep furrows of behaviour, values and expectations we get locked into. In Hilary Price’s book, The Life that Changed My Day, she mentions a sign at the beginning of a dirt road in the outback of Australia that says, “Choose your rut carefully; you will be in it for the next 500 miles.” This is indicative of life, so it is vitally important to choose the right path while we are young.

Josiah could have chosen the path of his grandfather, but at 16, he chose the path of David and set his sights on coming to know the God of David. By the time he was 26, he had turned the nation of Judah from evil, idolatrous ways back to worshiping the one true God of Israel. Second Chronicles 34:8 refers to him when it says, “the LORD, his God.” It was now Josiah’s God because he had come to know God for himself.

The best time to choose God’s way is when we are young and have years ahead, anticipating all that God will do in our lives. Our young people cannot have a more exciting, fulfilling life than to be on God’s agenda. Seeking and finding a spiritual mentor will be invaluable to their growth and development. Eventually, they will be weaned from the “Davids” in their lives and may provide to someone else the same godly wisdom that has impacted them. If we are quite on in years, it may be harder to break out of the ruts, but it is never too late to align ourselves with God. His grace is sufficient for us, and He has a wonderful way of putting to
good use all the years we have lived without Him.

Prayer: Lord, I pray for our youth today that they choose a path aligned with You and come to experience all that You will do in their lives. Thank You, Lord.