courage and valour!

2 Chronicles 22:11-12

"But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, (for she was the sister of Ahaziah,) hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not. And he was with them hid in the house of God six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land."

There's a lot that can be said about this portion in Scripture. I love the way Jehoshabeath carried herself. She was the daughter of a king and the wife of a priest. She was a woman with status and position, yet, she was humble and spiritual minded. That's says a lot all by itself. 

Those two things, 'Status' and 'Position', can go to a woman's head, making her to think that she is something she's not. Some women who have come by such, have failed to use their status and position for good. Instead, they have abused the privilege and lost the spiritual effect they were to have. 

Jehoshabeath lives up to the privilege of what she had. She was neither arrogant, nor conceited. She cared about God and His people. She knew the covenant God had made with the house of David and she paid close attention to the events happening around her. The minute she saw the threat against that promise, she acted! 

Jehoshabeath knew that Athaliah was an evil force, annihilating everything that got in her path, so she quietly and secretly made her escape with the young lad. What better place to flee to than the 'House of God'. The house of God was the place where peace and guidance were to be found. It was the place of worship. It was the place where God could be found. 

In times of trouble, where do you flee? Peace and safety can always be found in God.

Jehoshabeath is a woman of courage! She is wise and discerning. She knew she had to protect the last of the royal seed from the wicked, Athaliah. Athaliah was a vicious, cruel, evil woman, who wanted prominence and influence. She didn't care how she got it. She was a murderer! She had jealous rage with a heart full of envy. She knew that if someone else sat on that throne, there would be a queen as well. She wanted to be queen! She also was retaliating for the vengeance on Ahab's house that wiped out his seed. Athaliah was just like her mother, Jezebel. Like mother, like daughter.

Jehoshabeath's desire was to preserve what was for God! Just like Gideon who was found thrashing wheat in the winepress, because of the oppression of the Amalekites, Jehoshabeath finds a way to preserve something for God. Sometimes in order to serve God in the midst of opposition and oppression, we have to remove ourselves from the present environment. God forced her to move to a new location in order to fulfill His will and promise to the house of David.

God can allow circumstances to come into our lives that will bring change and perhaps a new start. When we have done what we were to do, in a given position or place, God moves us to a new locale. Sometimes it's a new job, a new department, a new neighborhood or church. If we stay beyond the time, we will miss the blessing He has for us and we rob others of what God has for them. 

Are you sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading? Are you willing to make a change when He calls for it, or are you comfortable where you've been with no thought of ever leaving? Have you told God what your future holds, and where you belong, or are you open to His plan for your life. It takes faith and courage to remain open minded and follow where He leads.

Six years in hiding proved to pay off! It didn't take God six years to act, He orchestrated events that would run over the course of those years for His purposes. God can do things in a microcosm of a second if He wants to, but often, there are a string of events that must take place and besides, Josh was still too young to take the throne.

At the 'Proper Time', Jehoiada, the priest, brings Joash out of hiding, and at age seven, he is anointed to be Judah's eighth king! Some of the Lord's people are forced to be in obscurity, until the proper time. He exalts them at the proper time. Have you felt hindered by the work of the enemy and had to serve behind the scenes, as it were? Be encouraged! God will exalt you at the proper time. Have you been passed over for something that should have been yours? Be encouraged, trust in God, He will exalt you at the proper time. You see, no hindrance, be it satan, or any human, can keep you from fulfilling God's divine purpose for your life. God gave you the skills you have, the spiritual gift you have, and He decides how and when it will be used or displayed. If He allows you to be hindered or passed over, it's all for divine purposes. He has a reason for all He allows us to experience. You are still within His will. Be observant, and look to see what God is doing in your life. Perhaps He is preparing you for something greater and that may require you to be re-positioned.

God is looking for men and women who are courageous and full of faith! He is looking for representatives who can and will stand up for what is right! Are you a crowd pleaser or are you willing to stand alone if need be. Do you become faint at heart when there's opposition against you? Are you more concerned about what others think and say about you? God gives courage. He understands that some challenges can be hard for us and may bring fear and trepidation, but if God puts you in a situation, He will give you what you need to carry it forth. I know this from personal experience. There is no sin in being afraid. If we give in to our fears, that is the sin. Courage is acting in the face of fear to accomplish what needs to be done. 

May the Lord help us in these last and closing days, to preserve what we can for His honor and His glory!