The chapter opens, In the seventh year Jehoiada showed his strength. He made a covenant with the commanders of units of a hundred… They went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites and the heads of Israelite families from all the towns. When they came to Jerusalem, the whole assembly made a covenant with the king at the temple of God. Jehoiada said to them, “The king’s son shall reign, as the LORD promised concerning the descendants of David (1-3).
I found myself wondering, how did Jehoiada knows the time was right to make Joash king? This is more of a springboard question than one the text itself answers. And yet I pondered.
So much in life is about timing. Plant a seed in the spring and it will grow, plant the same seed in the winter and it will likely die.
Yes, so much in life is about timing and this is true in our walk with the Lord as well. To understand God’s timing, is to know when God is leading us to do something rather than simply venturing out on our own.
Scripture sometimes uses the phrase, ‘when the time was fulfilled’.
How can we know when the time is fulfilled? I wish there was a straightforward 4 step process. If there is I haven’t found it.
What I do know is that it comes with a prompting of the Lord. Maybe Jehoiada was in prayer. Maybe as priest he sensed the queen was losing power. Maybe God gave him a dream. Maybe Joash’s maturity was showing. We don’t know. However, God alerted Jehoiada that the time was fulfilled. He knew it and He showed his strength. He put a plan into action to put Joash, the rightful king, on the throne.
What I am realizing, as I ponder and write, is that I need to cultivate my relationship with the Lord so that I know when the time is right and God is calling me to do this, that or another thing. I must develop my ability to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit within.
God has given to each Christ-follower the gift of the Holy Spirit to lead, guide and empower. Learning to follow, that is part of my growth and maturing in the Lord.
Oh, Lord, school me in understanding the leading of Your voice. Train me in rightly discerning the time, Your time, to step out in Your strength and execute Your actions. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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