Happiness And Harvest
2 Chronicles 30:10-11 (ESV)
10 So the couriers went from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them.
11 However, some men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.
Hezekiah sent couriers, reaching out to all of Israel, to return them to The Lord. Notice that, in the verse above, some laughed, and some were humbled. It’s even likely that, some of those who began laughing, humbled themselves when conviction took over. How you start doesn’t dictate how you finish.
The interesting thing is, the first ones it mentions humbling themselves were from Asher. As the Dad of a boy whose name is Nicholas Asher, I can tell you Asher means happy. Verse ten mentions the wrong kind of laughter, while verse eleven shows true happiness is in following God’s will.
While Asher stuck out to me, for obvious reasons, I couldn’t help but check Manasseh and Zebulun. Manasseh means causing to forget, and Zebulun means exalted. All of this led me to one verse in Psalms.
Psalms 126:5 (ESV Strong’s)
5 Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!
Hezekiah, didn’t tell the couriers to order the people to come a certain way. The Scripture even says they all didn’t come exactly the way expected. Yet, God had mercy on them, as He does on us. God isn’t concerned with where you are when He calls you, only that you answer His call.
When you reach out to God, regardless of where you’ve been, you begin the journey to true joy. He causes you to forget, or to let go of the things that held on to you, and exalts us to a place in Him. None of us are worthy of His love, but we are so blessed to experience it.
Jerusalem, the place the people were called to, was a city you went up too. It was a city on a plateau, surrounded by mountains. When you go towards God, it’s a journey upward. Like those who humbled themselves, how you start your journey with God isn’t what He’s looking at. He’s looking ahead to where He is taking you.
The Lord has higher things, and better views for your life than where you are. Even if you are already a believer, He always wants to take you higher. That doesn’t mean easy of course, sometimes Higher means the valley, but wherever He is, is a Heavenly and higher place.
So where ever you are today, whether you already know The Lord, or want to know Him, I would like to encourage you today. God has something amazing for your life, and while there may be a few tears along the way, the joy will always outweigh the sorrow. On top of all of this, there will be great happiness when harvest comes!