As I read my daily reading in the Bible, I stifled a yawn as I read a passage in one of the most skipped books in the Bible: 2 Chronicles. I read about the kingdom of Judah falling away from God over and over again. I was overwhelmed with the people stumbling over other idols when God stood with outstretched arms to catch them. However instead of falling into God's grace, they plunged into the temptations of the neighboring nations. As I read, I began to understand why 2 Chronicles was one of the most skipped books in the Bible. The stories of kings falling, picking back up again, and falling yet again is extremely daunting to the faint of heart.
Eventually I came to the story of King Manasseh. At first I was appalled at his story because of the terrible acts he performed. King Manasseh lead the people of Judah aside from God and followed after manmade gods. He practiced witchcraft and burned his children alive to please these newfound gods of his. He was so far away from God that He lead the Assyrians (a hated neighbor of Judah's) straight to Judah's front doorstep and subjugated the people of Judah. I was just about to dismiss this so-called king into my mental "no good file" when God stepped in.
While in captivity, King Manasseh had an epiphany. After all the sin, after all the horrible acts he inflicted on his family and friends, King Manasseh realized that he was at fault for everything that had happened. He understood that because of arrogant actions he lead Judah into captivity of an abominable nation.
Not knowing what else to do, King Manasseh cried out to God. He didn't know if God would still accept him or not, but he figured he had to try. It says in 2 Chronicles 33:12-13, "And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God," (KJV).
Even though Manasseh performed horrible acts--killed innocent children and caused God's chosen people to forget Him and follow after the gods of the neighboring nations--God still brought him home. When King Manasseh begged of God to forgive him and his people, God heard him. Through His never ending grace, God brought the people of Judah back to their land and reestablished King Manasseh as their ruler.
After I read King Manasseh's story, I thought back over my life and walk with Jesus. I know all too well that it is easy to fall prey to temptation. There were times in my life that I outright denied God; I told him I didn't want anything to deal with Him. As I walked around in my theatrical tantrum, I ruined numerous relationships, yet I was too proud to come to terms with my arrogance. It wasn't until years later that I received a revelation like King Manasseh's. I cried out to God but didn't know if He would forgive me for all the stupid stuff I had done. However, to my sweetest surprise, God forgave me. Just as He forgave King Manasseh for his trespasses, God forgave me.
You may be thinking, "So what? What can I take away from this?" Well as God's children we can rejoice that no matter what happens and no matter what we do, God will always bring us back home. Jesus repeated this story in His parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. Not only did God give us a real life example, but He reminds us yet again through Jesus that there is nothing that we can do, say, or think that can keep us away from God. We may reject Him, outright declare that we want to live our own life, but God doesn't care. After our selfish tantrums subside, God will show us the way back home.
God is truly a benevolent God. He cares for His children even when they don't care for Him. If you find yourself in the situation that I was a few years ago or you have a loved one going through that same phase, don't fret. There is nothing, absolutely nothing that can separate God from His children. Give it time, and God will welcome you, me, and all His children into His love and grace with outstretched arms.
