“So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before the LORD his God.” – 2 Chronicles 27:6 (ESV)
Have you ever started something that you thought would be easy but turned out to be harder than you thought?
When my wife and I first got married, I worked out of our home. The desk I had been using since college was falling apart. Money was tight in those days, so I was excited when we finally saved enough to buy a desk I’d been eyeing for months. I eagerly opened the box, pulled out the instructions, and began assembling it. About two-thirds of the way through, I tossed the instructions into the corner of our living room, thinking I knew enough to finish on my own.
I was wrong.
As I tightened the final screws, I stepped back to admire my work and realized I had assembled several crucial pieces upside down. The desk, a tower workstation, quickly toppled to the ground. Frustrated, I picked up the crumpled instructions from the floor to see where I had gone wrong. Following the booklet closely this time, I began the arduous process of undoing what had taken me the better part of an hour to build. From that point on, the instructions didn’t leave my side until the desk was complete.
As followers of Jesus, we can fall into a similar trap. When we’re new to the faith, we keep our Bibles close and rely on prayer. But as time goes on and we think we have a “handle on things,” we may spend less time in Scripture and prayer—until a problem (sometimes of our own making) drives us back to the Lord.
In 2 Chronicles 27, we read about King Jotham, who began ruling Judah around 750 B.C. Jotham’s father, Uzziah, started as a godly king but let pride take over, leading him to break God’s law. His actions resulted in him being struck with leprosy (2 Chronicles 26:16-23).
Jotham learned from his father’s mistakes and chose to faithfully follow the Lord. 2 Chronicles 27:6 says, “So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before the LORD his God” (ESV). In other words, Jotham was intentional about living a life of obedience, aligning his private and public actions with God’s word. As a result, God blessed his life and leadership.
Jotham’s story highlights an essential truth:
To be blessed BY God, we must carefully obey the word OF God.
As believers, we can’t expect God’s blessing on our lives if we consistently disregard His instructions. This doesn’t mean a legalistic or rule-obsessed approach to our relationship with God. Nor does it imply that God is obligated to give us everything we want if we “check all the boxes.” Instead, Jotham’s life teaches us that ordering our lives around God’s word creates space for God’s blessings to flow.
How can we order our ways before the Lord, like Jotham did? Here are a few practical steps:
1. Spend time in the word daily. Make it a priority to read or listen to Scripture each day. Use a devotional, start a Bible reading plan on an app like YouVersion, or read a chapter of Scripture at a time that works for you.
2. Carve out space to reflect and pray. Don’t just skim through a few verses and move on. Take time to think about what you’ve read and how it applies to your life. Talk to God about what’s on your heart, and ask for His guidance and strength.
3. Put into practice what God is saying to you. James 1:22 reminds us, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (NIV). After reading Scripture, ask yourself: What is one thing God is calling me to do in this season of life?
As we seek to order our lives according to God’s word, let’s remember that obedience to his instructions is the path to receiving his blessings. How will you choose to order your ways before the Lord today?
Jeff McClung 