Prioritizing Dependence is the Key to a Life of Worship
Do you remember, back in the day, when you were assigned group projects? Teachers plan these activities to help you discover more information without requiring you to do all the research yourself. In theory, the idea is great. In reality, you must depend on someone else to do their job. It’s stressful.
If you were a bright student, there were certain peers you attempted to exclude because you knew you would be doing the work of two people. If you struggled in that particular class, you hustled admission into the group that would boost your grade.
We are spending the next four weeks looking at the character of King Hezekiah and what he can teach us about worship. Hezekiah’s life reveals dependence is the first element of worship.
Worship Calls for Dependence
“Hezekiah relied on the Lord God of Israel; not one of the kings of Judah was like him, either before or after him. He remained faithful to the Lord and did not turn from following him but kept the commands the Lord had commanded Moses.”
2 Kings 18:5-6
Hezekiah’s reliance on God was so unique and profound, he was viewed as one of a kind. To make it doubly fascinating, Hezekiah’s father was King Ahaz, a king known for idol worship, desecrating the temple, and even sacrificing his own children.
How did Hezekiah Learn Dependence?
Scripture doesn’t tell us what led Hezekiah to acquire his strong confidence in God. Second Kings 18:2 tells us his mother was Abi daughter of Zechariah. It’s possible Zechariah taught his daughter deep truths and she instilled those lessons in her son.
Verse three of 2 Kings 18 says, “[Hezekiah] did what was right in the Lord’s sight just as his ancestor David had done.” Abi, Hezekiah’s mother, could have told him all the stories of Israel’s past when he was a boy. and he integrated their wisdom into his faith.
Dependence Prioritizes Trust
From the beginning of Hezekiah’s reign, at age 25, he prioritized trusting God alone. As a result, he removed the high places built to worship other gods and cut down the Asherah poles. In addition, he even broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made years before because the people were beginning to worship it! Scripture tells us the Lord was with him (2 Kings 18:4&7).
Life wasn’t peachy keen for this good king though. Choosing dependence on God certainly didn’t send all his troubles packing as evidenced by a series of incidents with the Assyrian army. They conquered the political capital of Israel (the Northern Kingdom), and the Assyrian King set his sights on Jerusalem and Hezekiah.
The Assyrian King was no joking matter. The Assyrian’s were known for crushing everyone and everything. Their army was huge with enormous resources. In other words, they were the big power and Hezekiah was nothing in comparison. But Hezekiah entrusted himself and Judah to the Lord God of Israel.
“He set military commanders over the people and gathered the people in the square of the city gate. Then he encouraged them, saying, ‘Be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid or discouraged before the king of Assyria or before the large army that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. He has only human strength, but we have the Lord God to help us and fight our battles. So the people relied on the words of King Hezekiah of Judah.”
2 Chronicles 32:6-8
Dependence Doesn’t Come with Ideal Guarantees
Last week I wrote, “Woven into the fabric of worship is pleasing the one we worship with our choices and behavior. Genuine worship requires humility, commitment, and trust…” Hezekiah determined, regardless of the enormity of all he was facing, to honor and remain devoted to God. He trusted the God who had fought for the nation of Israel time and time again, consequently Hezekiah chose to depend on God to fight for them.
Hezekiah had no guarantee of how things would turn out. That’s the nature of dependence. It requires confident expectation with unhindered reliance. Dependence can be a struggle because we fear we are gambling, that we are at the mercy of something or someone else. We wrestle because we want to maintain control.
Part of worship means releasing control and placing complete confidence in who God is and what God chooses to do. Our dependence on Him reveals our worship; our worship compels us to depend on Him. Allow me to meddle: what do you need to let go of? What area of our life, what circumstance, is God asking you to trust Him with and offer Him your unconditional dependence?
- Do you have a relationship that is faltering?
- Is your job unsatisfying or a disappointment?
- Do you have more month than money in your budget?
- Are your children making unwise decisions?
- Do you have a dream you think God is ignoring?
- Are you riding an emotional rollercoaster?
- Do you struggle with believing you have value and/or purpose?
Dependence and Doing our Part
I feel I must clarify that although Hezekiah chose to depend on God, he also prepared to battle the Assyrians. In 2 Chronicles 32:2-5 we learn that Hezekiah kept tabs on Sennacherib, he knew what the Assyrian King was up to. He consulted with his officials, and they decided to block the water of the springs outside the city so the Assyrians wouldn’t have fresh water. They also rebuilt broken down walls, heightened the towers and crafted weapons and shields.
As we worship through dependence, we aim to improve that faltering relationship, trusting God for wisdom, strength, and growth. We pray for insight concerning a different job, or how to improve our work environment. We trust God to help us distinguish where we can spend less or get by without something. We beg God to calm our fears in regard to our children, all the while interceding on their behalf. We bring our dream to God, again, listening for his direction, trusting His timing, and filling our minds with the truth that He loves us, chooses us, and treasures us. We schedule time to be in God’s Word, anchoring ourselves in His truth, understanding our emotions can’t always be relied upon in addition to believing what He says about us.
A Group-Project Life
God is offering us a group-project life. He invites us to join His group, and with Him we are guaranteed a definite A+. We can depend on Him because He is GOD, and He is loving, faithful and good. Are you ready to worship?
Student Group Project Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash
Beautiful article on Hezekiah, one of my favorite Bible characters. I look forward to the additional articles in the series.
Thank you so much! I have enjoyed digging into Hezekiah’s story. He has really impacted my thoughts toward a life of worship.
Such a great snapshot of Hezekiah! Dependence is hard when there’s no guarantee but that’s the beauty of the Lord because he’ll never forsake us. I love how you put it that as believers we’re all in a group project together.❤️
I agree, dependence IS hard when there’s no guarantee. So grateful He is faithful, full of mercy and love!
My dependence on Him in life’s very tough circumstances, sometimes leads to the only prayer I can even utter “Help”! It is comforting to know when I can’t even “do my part”, my dependence on Him is enough. My dependence brings me to my knees in worship of the One who holds my life in His hand.
Amen and amen!!