Daily devotion – Set your house in order – today!
In 2 Kings 20:1, we read a very sobering moment in the life of King Hezekiah: “In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.”’”
This verse paints a powerful picture of the reality of life and death. Hezekiah received what many of us would find difficult to hear—a direct message that his time on earth was coming to an end. For some, news like this would be earth-shattering, while for others, it may come as a difficult yet sobering reminder to set things right.
During our time of corporate prayer at church last Wednesday, I had the privilege of praying with a group of men, and the topic of being given a finite time before death was raised. It’s a difficult subject, but one that brings profound lessons. Over the years, I’ve encountered people who were given the news that their time was running out. And I’ve been humbled to witness how some of these individuals responded—not in despair, but by seizing the opportunity to set their house in order, both spiritually and relationally.
Some have reconciled with God, seeking His grace and forgiveness through Jesus Christ, while others have gathered loved ones, expressed their deep love, and given words of comfort. They reminded their families that their separation was but a moment in the grand scale of eternity, where they would be reunited once again.
For many Australian men, often raised in a culture where emotions are kept hidden, these moments have broken the chains of unspoken love. I’ve seen fathers, who may never have expressed their feelings before, openly tell their grown children every day, “I love you.” These are sacred moments that, in many cases, might never have occurred without the revelation of their approaching departure.
For those of us who haven’t received such a prognosis, what does this teach us? It teaches us not to wait for a doctor’s report or a sudden storm in our lives before we begin doing the things we’ve been neglecting. We often take for granted the relationships in our lives, the opportunities we have to express love, forgiveness, and gratitude.
Today, I encourage you to write down the things you would change if you were given news that you needed to “set your house in order.” Then, instead of waiting for that moment, begin today to check those things off your list.
None of us know if we will have the opportunity, like the thief on the cross, to make things right at the last moment. So let us live now with our hearts in order, reconciled with God and with each other, ready for whatever time He gives us.
Today let us set our house in order!