Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in the way of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left. In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David. In his twelfth year, he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles, carved idols and cast images. Under his direction, the altars of the baals were torn down; he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them, and smashed the Asherah poles, the idols and the images. These he broke to pieces and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. He burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and so he purged Judah and Jerusalem.
– 2 Chronicles 34:1-5
Devotion
Josiah would go down in history as one of the greatest kings that Judah ever had. This is surprising when you look at his family history. His father, Amnon, and his grand-father, Manasseh, were two of the most wicked kings in Judah’s history. The nation had become utterly corrupt during the fifty-seven years covering the reigns of Manasseh and Amon. Yet we find that Josiah looks back in history to King David as his surrogate role model. Josiah begins his reign at a very young age. Yet from the beginning, Josiah sets out to return the nation to its spiritual roots. Josiah had a heart to know God and refused to let cultural norms stop him from honoring God. No doubt his mother Jedidah had a major influence in his life.
The Big Question
How does one break generational patterns? Josiah broke from the negative patterns of his ancestors and found another historical role model to be his guide. What negative generational patterns are holding you back from being all that God wants you to be? What does this story communicate about the power of a mother’s influence in the lives of her children?
Conclude your time in prayer and silence reflecting on what God revealed to you today.