Wholehearted Devotion (2 Chronicles 31:20–21)

Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered.
– 2 Chronicles 31:20–21

I love this picture, this description of Hezekiah. Especially when you contrast it with language we read earlier in 2 Chronicles 25:2. Back in that chapter talking about Amaziah the King. We read that he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart. Just think about that phrase, “not with a whole heart”. He did what was right. He did what was supposed to be done, but not with a whole heart.

2 Chronicles 31:20–21 teaches the importance of wholehearted devotion to God.

But then, when we come to Hezekiah, we read about how he did what was good, and right, and faithful before the Lord his God, and he did it with all his heart. So in light of this language, I just want to ask you today, how is your heart before God? Not just, “Are you doing the right things? Are you saying the right things? Are you going through the right motions?”

But just pause for a moment and ask, How is my heart before God? Am I doing right and good things? Thinking, saying right and good things with a heart that is in love with God? Or am I just doing right and good things because they’re the good and right thing to do? And obviously that’s good and right in one sense. But it’s not the picture that God’s made you for and the life God’s designed you for.

This is why when Jesus is asked, “What’s the greatest commandment?” What is the word that comes out of his mouth? It’s not do this or do that, which obviously, yes, we obey God, but it’s love. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength. This is where life is found.

2 Chronicles 31:20–21 inspires a life marked by worship and a relationship with God.

And so I just want to pray for our hearts, lead us to ask God to help us, to serve him, to love him, to obey him with a whole heart today. God, may it be so, we pray, in our lives. We pray that you would help us to love you with all our heart, and all our soul, and all our mind, and all our strength. God, we pray that you would help us to walk in a love relationship with you, to enjoy, to worship you, and exalt you in a love relationship with you.

We pray that over our lives. Please keep us from doing right and good things apart from a heart that is wholeheartedly devoted to, captivated by, in love with you. God, we just pray for that commandment to love you with everything we have to be the one commandment that marks our lives above all others.

And God, for any who are praying right now. Any of us whose hearts have grown cold. Or we kind of find ourselves in a mechanical rut of just doing right and good things. God, we pray for transformation of our hearts, for renewal of our hearts that can only come from your Holy Spirit at work in our hearts. And as we pray this, oh God, we praise you for your love for us, for your infinite, overflowing, captivating, alluring love for us in Jesus.

And we pray that your love in us would overflow from us to the people around us today. Help us to love people selflessly out of the overflow of loving you wholeheartedly. And God, help us to lead others to your love in Jesus.

Prayer for the Buginese People

We pray specifically for the Buginese people of Malaysia and Indonesia. We pray for 6 million Buginese people to be reached with the good news of your love for them. And Jesus, please, oh God, we intercede for them now, that they might be transformed by the good news of your love for them to experience life in a love relationship with you. We pray this over them, even as we pray that we would walk in this life you’ve made us for doing all kinds of good, and right, and faithful things out of the overflow of a love relationship with you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.