Sometimes, we see people around us and we wonder if they would ever be able to hear the call of God. Today. let’s look at a Bible character to understand that nobody is lost before God they way we think of being lost. Manasseh is this kind of person that we look at but see only evil in him: how can a king sicken us because of the way he sacrificed his children… and yet God forgave Him!
My… brother, my sister, with Manasseh, the Bible tells us two major things: yes, God does not look anyone as lost because He wants all to be saved! Secondly, such blatant sins as the one Manasseh committed are severely corrected by God anyway. Therefore, we should understand that SALVATION does not exclude CORRECTION. Indeed, God showed justice to Manasseh in warning and punishing him for his evil deeds. The Lord showed mercy in responding to Manasseh’s heartfelt repentance by forgiving and restoring him. However, given the nature of Manasseh’s rebellion, we should not be surprised by God’s punishment (defeat and exile in the hands of the Assyrian enemy).
My friend, God can change your life. He can give you a new start. The only thing you need to do is to come to your senses and cry out to Jesus for help. Sometimes we think that we are going through lots of difficulties because the devil is attacking us, while only our repentance and a prayer for a new attitude is the only thing standing between us and God’s complete forgiveness. Today, as you read today’s passage, make it your prayer for the Lord to make you whole again: “In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 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”. Sometimes, we misuse our relationship with God, forgetting that He is God indeed, and take what He says lightly. Yet, the Lord will go a long way to get our attention, even if that means handing us to the enemy sometimes. But we should know today that the Lord’s forgiveness is limited, not by the amount of our sin, but by our own willingness to repent or let go of the things keeping us in captivity. Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.