You Sought Me First,You Shall Be Laid In Peace

You Sought Me First,

You Shall Be Laid In Peace.

A. Poem:

“Who else is like you,

In all the heavens and the earth?”

I could have asked no other.

Sought no one,

Better than thee.

You called life from the dust,

Parted the seas and rode on the wind.

Would I have knocked on the door

Of an earthly deity?

Dance seven times around a fire,

To him who has no ears?

Poured out wine to an alter,

That has no lips to drink.

Postured the gestures of a god,

Who has never taken in air?

Of course I called upon He,

Who let fire down from the heavens.

[God's Response]

First.

You sought me first.

Heard my judgment,

And perceived my anger.

Feared My wrath,

Yet ran to bow at my alter

And not far from me.

You saw Me as a God of mercy.

Acknowledged Me as ruler of all.

Came into My abode,

And left all Your wors at My feet.

Mighty, mighty! I am He.

Mighty, mighty 

I'll arise on behalf of thee.

I tore the veil apart,

And you took the invitation and let yourself in. 

A thousand suns shall rise and fall,

So shall the moon,

Following closely behind. 

Because you chose to lay at My feet,

I'll let your head rest in your grave in peace.

B. Devotional 

2 Kings 22:18-20 AMPC

[18] But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, say this, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, regarding the words you have heard: [19] Because your heart was [tender and] penitent and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I said against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation, [an astonishment and] a curse, and you have rent your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you, says the Lord. [20] Behold, therefore [King Josiah], I will gather you to your fathers, taken to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring on this place. And they brought the king word.

What Does A Humble Heart Look Like Before The Lord? How Can I Get My Heart Into That Posture?

Josiah, unlike His father but more so like his grandfather, chose to walk in and with The Spirit of God.

I'd like to think Josiah saw what his father did and wondered what it'd be like to do something different. 

I think he thought, “What if I explored what serving The Lord was like and had to offer?” Possibly, he saw some unpleasant aspects of his father's path and decided to try another way.

2 Kings 22:2 AMPC

[2] He did right in the sight of the Lord and walked in all the ways of David his [forefather], and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.

However it is, that he came to encounter and made the decision to serve God, he did. More so to the point, that he chose not to handle God's words and judgment lightly. 

Josiah knew there was no other ways to settle the matter, than to seek God himself and ask for pardon.

He could have followed the steps of his fathers, and asked help of lifeless gods. But he ran to God, knowing that even in the midst of His wrath and anger, that God's mercy would not be clouded by nor overruled by His desire for judgment. 

This action of Josiah touched God's heart. Even though God's word cannot return to Him void without accomplishing the task God assigned it to do - God took Josiah’s name off the list of recipients of His judgment and promised Him a peaceful death.

What Judgment Hangs Over My Head, That I Have No Knowledge Of?

Have I Sought God For Revelation And Mercy For These Wrongful Acts?