He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. 2 Kings 18:5
Some people have been blessed with a wonderful upbringing. Your father loved you, spent time with you, and was a role model for you. But others have had a very different experience.
Perhaps your father was a picture of what you do not want to be. There are tender wounds when you think about your father. And for some of us, this is an ongoing problem.
Can you imagine what it must have been like for Hezekiah to be raised as Ahaz’s son? Imagine being raised by a man who does not know how to love, who is spiritually blind and morally bankrupt, who has demons within him that he does not know how to control.
Hezekiah must have looked at his father and said to himself, “I’ve got his genetic material in me.” Like father, like son. If that’s your situation, you need to know that God can raise a great son from the worst father. Hezekiah’s story is a beacon of hope for any person who comes from an abusive or dysfunctional family.
This is what the grace of God can do. A close encounter with the living God makes a whole new life possible. Your genetic material may still shape your greatest struggles, but there will be a different outcome.
How was your upbringing? Do you have some tender wounds?
