2 Chronicles 33:12–13, 16 In his distress he sought the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 13 And when he prayed to him, the LORD was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God... 16 Then he restored the altar of the LORD and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and told Judah to serve the LORD, the God of Israel.
As we prepare to begin a new year, it is good to take stock in where you are and make plans for where you want to be. The great thing about a new year is that it provides an easy beginning for a new direction for your life or to strengthen the commitments that you know are good for your life.
In 2 Chronicles 33 King Manasseh realized that he needed God to be the leader of his life and he repented of his sin. He then made changes in his life that revealed his changed heart.
The consequences of his past still had to be dealt with. His sin impacted his son and the nation he led. We must remember that sin always takes us further than we wanted to go, costs more than we wanted to pay, and gives us less than it promised. One of the costs is the impact our sin has on other people. Manasseh influenced his son and nation to pursue sin. That must have grieved him until his dying day.
The Good News is that God was gracious to cause him pain that allowed him to wake up to his own sin so that he turned back to God. Once he repented, he sought God. He did what was right and lived a life that God could bless.
As we look forward, we may find that we have to deal with consequences of the past. That should not deter us from pursuing what is best. If anything, it is a reminder that we need to be on a path that honors God and blesses our lives and others.
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