Christian Devotional – August 26, 2024

Times of Transition, Day 45

Exile. Read 2 Kings chapter 25.

As we conclude this study through the transition Israel experienced, as recorded in the books of Kings, we see the final leadership changes before complete and total captivity. Babylon has completely decimated the Judean army and the city. He is taking prisoners and relocating people. What people he does leave there in the land are the very poorest and least desirable people. Definitely not what anyone would have considered the best.

Going through transition may seem really dark and difficult at times. In fact, often the transitions that we go through are not of our choosing and are not things we would have wanted for ourselves. But, that doesn’t mean that God removes all hope. As long as we’re living God is able to call us back to repentance and he is able to restore us.

The transitions we go through can be the result of our sin or the result of God’s Providence in our lives. We can know that if we will trust in him completely, he will always guide us to exactly where we need to be at exactly the right time. God is never surprised by the events in our lives. God does allow events at times in order to get our attention and in some cases lead us to repentance. In other cases, where we have been following Jesus, God is taking us down a path of his choosing in order to bring about his glory. Either way, our response is to trust in God and follow his path.

It is my prayer that you have seen that as we have worked our way through this book of kings and seen all of the recorded transitions over the centuries. Regardless of everything that we have gone through, God was in control. No matter what chaos seems to rain in our lives, God is in control. Are we trusting him through every piece of transition in our lives today?