Isaiah Chapter 39
Feel Good About Your Successes, But Always Give God The Glory!
The king of Babylon had letters and gifts sent to King Hezekiah after hearing of his illness and recovery. King Hezekiah gladly received the Messengers and showed them his whole empire. His pride got the best of him and he showed them everything as if to be saying look at my kingdom.
God sent Isaiah the prophet to King Hezekiah telling him that one day everything in his Palace would be removed and taken to Babylon along with some of his descendants who would serve the king of Babylon. King Hezekiah interpreted the prophecy as saying there will be peace and security. When in fact, it was God disciplining him for his arrogance and pride. He showed All His blessings to a nation as if it was because of his doing versus God’s doing.
I’m sure King Hezekiah worked very hard to get what he had, but we must all be very careful when we conclude that all our blessings are because of our efforts. At best, let us feel good about our accomplishments, but never forget who gets the glory!
It’s easy to get puffed up with pride when we reach a certain level of success. I remember a pastor bragging about their church’s success. His attitude wasn’t, “look what God is doing” but rather, “since I took leadership, we have accomplished this and that!”
Again, at best, feel good about your successes, but always give God the glory. If you don’t, who’s to say you won’t lose it like what was prophesied against King Hezekiah.
