by Nivine Richie
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne,
high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.
– Isaiah 6:1 (NIV)
The call went straight to voice mail. I was on my way home
from an overseas trip and I tried to call my husband at his office, but I
couldn’t reach him. Normally the receptionist would have answered; it was the
middle of the day after all. Instinctively, I knew something unusual was going
on.
When I finally reached my husband, he told me the whole
story. The partners of his firm had arrived at the office unexpectedly that morning
and announced that the firm would be closing its doors. He and a few other employees
would be offered transfers to California, but the rest would be offered
severance pay.
I was stunned. We lived in south Florida, and California was
a universe away. In one 10-minute phone conversation, my world came to a
standstill. As a stay-at-home mom with two children in diapers, I immediately began
running through scenarios of how we would make ends meet once my husband’s
paycheck came to an end. My comfortable, secure life was about to change.
Suddenly nothing seemed permanent.
In Isaiah 6, Isaiah’s world had suddenly come to a
standstill too. King Uzziah died after having reigned for 52 years. Everything
was upside down. But in spite of the upheaval Isaiah and the rest of the
country would experience, Isaiah describes God seated on His throne in full
splendor. A great contrast between a dead earthly king and the Heavenly King, alive
and unshaken.
We all have earthly kings: jobs, homes, families, friends. Our
sense of security is disrupted when we discover these kings are unreliable or
fleeting. But just as the people in King Uzziah’s day were reminded that the Lord
was still on the throne, we can be encouraged when we remember that He is our
King as well. Others come and go, but our King of Kings never fails.
The day my husband’s job went away, my young family was
shaken. Isaiah 6:1 reminds me that I can take comfort knowing that when earthly
“kings” die, my God is still seated on His throne and He has my future safely
in His grip.
Can you identify any earthly kings in your life that pale when compared
with your living King of Kings?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About the author:
Nivine Richie is a women’s Bible study teacher in
Wilmington, N.C., where she lives with her husband and two teenage children. A
university finance professor, she is actively involved in the Christian faculty
association on campus. Nivine has participated in and taught many small group
studies over the years. She seeks to help others launch their own small group studies
and is available to speak at women’s events.
Her new book, Enduring
Faith: An 8-Week Devotional Study of the Book of Hebrews, is available from
Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/1941103111/
or
Barnes and Noble at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/enduring-faith-an-8-week-devotional-study-of-the-book-of-hebrews-nivine-richie/1119840476?ean=9781941103111
Visit her at www.unfoldinghisword.com
to find tools to help you grow as a small group leader.
Contact her at nivine@unfoldinghisword.com
or on Twitter at @UnfoldHisWord
Powerful! Thanks Nivine.
ReplyDeleteOur King seated high and holy settles this heart. Timely and well-spoken. Thank you!
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