"And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because of what God had done for the people; for the thing had come about suddenly."
(2 Chronicles 29:36)
We know what a stereotypical haunted house looks like. Old. Boarded-up windows. Yard unkempt. Dark. Dusty. Cobwebs everywhere. Very creepy looking. Now take that image and move it to a church. Actually, a temple. The Temple in Jerusalem, to be exact. That's what King Hezekiah was dealing with. It had been neglected and abandoned for far too long. That was all about to change.
The king called the priests & Levites together. He had them sanctify themselves. Then they began to make things right. The cleaned. They repaired the front doors. They opened the windows. They brought out everything that didn't belong and dumped it into the Kidron Valley. They cleaned the sacred objects that had been misused by other kings. They restored the Temple so it could be used as it was intended - TO WORSHIP!
Symbolically, I see this needing to happen in many of our lives. Our bodies are "temples" for the Lord. Too often we put stuff in them that doesn't belong. Or we use them in ways that they weren't intended. Or we neglect its upkeep. We don't use them how they're intended - to worship God!
But then, from time to time, a call is issued. Do we hear it? Can we hear it? It's a call to renewal. It may come suddenly. Be alert! Be ready! If we respond with faithfulness... if we respond with humility like Hezekiah & the leaders did, then God can use us to do amazing things. Our bodies/lives are incredibly holy! If only we recognized it.
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