Pride Prohibits Response
Do you ever fail to give credit to God?
Verse of the Day
‘About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill. He prayed to the Lord, who healed him and gave him a miraculous sign. But Hezekiah did not respond appropriately to the kindness shown him, and he became proud. So the Lord’s anger came against him and against Judah and Jerusalem.’
Today’s Devotional
In order to fully understand this verse and its reference to pride, I had to read the whole story of King Hezekiah. Hezekiah’s dad had been king before him, and his dad was not a faithful man. His grandfather, however, was the prophet Zechariah. So it appears that he had both good examples and bad examples in his life.
According to the Bible, Hezekiah spent much of his time removing all of the idols and pagan shrines that had been erected all over the country. He had the Lord’s temple cleaned, dedicated, and reopened. He celebrated the festivals that honor God, and invited everyone to participate. He spent most of his reign trying to realign himself, his country, and all of the people back to being followers of God. In 2 Chronicles 31:21 it says, “In all that he did in the service of the Temple of God and in his efforts to follow God’s laws and commands, Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful.”
Success, even when that success comes directly from the hand of God, can go to one’s head. We can mistakenly think of ourselves as untouchable. We can set ourselves above the standards and requirements of “normal” people, for after all, look at how God has shown up in the past!
Today’s verse reminds me that no matter how good God is and has been to me, there is never a time when He does not want (and perhaps even expect) my gratitude. God and I never get to the point in our relationship where He does not want me to acknowledge His goodness and give Him the glory.
If we think of this in human terms, I never want to get to the point in my marriage where I don’t tell my husband “thank you” for the kind things he does for me. If I don’t acknowledge him, he may think that I take him for granted. If I refuse to acknowledge him, I probably AM taking him for granted.
Going back to Hezekiah, I wonder what it meant that he became proud after his healing. Did he puff himself up and brag to others that he and God are “tight”? Did he think, “Of course God healed me. Look at all the good I am doing for Him?” We aren’t given the specifics here, but we know that he did not humbly acknowledge his miraculous healing and the gift of a miraculous sign. We do know that pride got in the way of Hezekiah honoring God and giving Him all the glory. Does that ever happen to you?
We also don’t know what it meant that “the Lord ’s anger came against him and against Judah and Jerusalem.” But we know from the next verse that it was enough to get Hezekiah’s attention. Here’s what happened next. “Then Hezekiah humbled himself and repented of his pride, as did the people of Jerusalem. So the Lord ’s anger did not fall on them during Hezekiah’s lifetime.” (2 Chronicles 32:26)
We are going to get it wrong. Our pride will get in the way of us acknowledging God. We are going to miss the opportunities to be grateful and to give God all the glory. When we do, my prayer is that we are quick to humble ourselves and to repent. Just like Hezekiah.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How might pride keep someone from honoring God?
How has your pride kept you from giving God thanks and honor? Can you think of a specific example?
How has God offered you the chance to humble yourself and repent?
How does it feel when someone in your life does not acknowledge a kind thing you have done for them?
Take some time to praise, honor, glorify and offer thanks to God for all that He has done for you.
Where do you see any roots of pride in your heart?