There are many traditions that people cling to. Some, like Independence Day parades, help to unite a people through celebration. Others, like brushing your teeth, keep us healthy. Some cause us to remember what our Lord has done for; praying before a meal comes to mind. These are, for the most part, beneficial rituals. And yet, we well know the danger of allowing the ritual to take the place of a true relationship with Almighty God. Just because a man goes to church every week doesn't mean that he is an elect of God. This is nothing new to regular readers.
Today, let's look at it from the other side. What about the people who don't fit the mold? Are we, in our comfort with tradition, excluding them from our fellowship because they don't "look" like believers? How does God see His people? I am confident in saying that it is not how you and I see His people. The Lord of lords sees far more than we do.
2 Chronicles 30:18-20 [NKJV]
For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the good LORD provide atonement for everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary."
And the LORD listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.
The events portrayed here took place when true worship was being restored after generations of idol worship, captivity and horrendous violations against God's law. The people may not have been "ritualistically" clean. They hadn't done what they were supposed to be doing. In other words, on the outside, they were a mess. But pay close attention to Hezekiah's prayer. He beseeches the Father to provide atonement for everyone who prepares his heart to seek God. And in the last line, God reveals that He does just that.
For you and me, this means that we must do two things. First, recognize that God prepares a heart for Him to view, not always for us to view. Second, and most importantly, we must be sure that our own hearts are prepared to worship Christ in spirit and truth. The Lord promises healing for our soul when our hearts are ready.
Be encouraged,
Jose
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