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2 Kings 22:1

As I read through the accounts of the various kings, it occurs to me that kingship was a death sentence. Very few died of natural causes, at an old age.

Josiah, a king who is remembered for the good that he did, met his untimely demise at the hands of Pharaoh Neco. My math suggests that he never saw his fortieth birthday. At a personal level, it would seem that there were no particular benefits for Josiah, in his devotion to God, when it came to longevity.

God never planned that a king should rule His people.

It was a concession, an unhealthy one for both kings and subjects.

Have you ever wondered about the unhealthy concessions that God may be affording you?

We are so persistent that God occasionally gives us what we think we want when we refuse to be spared of it.  He just lets us have it …

We have rationalized, spiritualized and justified what we want, every which way but Sunday and God grants our desires to teach us. We get what we want and live to regret it. There is a large company of people whose lives have been decimated by the realization of their goals.

God concedes.

He steps back and allows us to discover that it is not always a good thing to get what we want.

Today I am going to thank God for sparing me the carte blanche fulfillment of my desires.  It just might be healthier.