Lessons Learned From King amaziah
“And he (AMaziah) did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart.”
~ 2 Chronicles 25:2
“In the Jewish biblical accounts of the Kings and Chronicles, there are a number of kings appointed to lead the nations of Judah and Israel. Unfortunately, the majority of these commissioned leaders failed to honor the Lord. Most chapters begin with the name of the king, their immediate descendants, and their standing if they did what was right in the eyes of God or not. Does this sound familiar today?”
The reign of Amaziah, ruler over Judah catches my attention. Amaziah began ruling at the youthful age of Twenty-Five years old. The account unfolds in 2 Chronicles 25. Verse 2 states that the young leader “…did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart.” (ESV). King Amaziah of Judah began to make preparations for an upcoming battle and hired 100,000 men from Israel to fight. A man of God warns Amaziah to not allow the soldiers of Israel to join his men in battle. Verse 8 says, “But go, act, be strong for the battle. Why should you suppose that God will cast you down before the enemy? For God has power to help or to cast down.” Amaziah’s concern was losing the money given to these men upon hiring them for war. To this the man of God responds with words that led me to pause: “The LORD is able to give you much more than this” (2 Chronicles 25:9).
“JUST LIKE Amaziah, so many ENTER student ministry, specifically in the role of student pastoring, about the same age OF Amaziah WHEN HE ENTERED LEADERSHIP.”
Just like Amaziah, so many in student ministry, specifically in the role of student pastoring, enter ministry about the same age of Amaziah around 25 years of age. God has given you a calling to lead and shepherd the next generation, volunteers and partnering staff towards a specific mission. Think of your own journey and see if you resonate with the following:
For so many, this may sound familiar. You are fresh out of your internship, you’ve completed your academic training (possibly undergraduate, seminary or both), and now you’re entering full-time ministry and are busting to go! You are now totally prepared, right? (And all the veterans are rolling their eyes…)
Developing a budget, planning events, conducting meetings, implementing camps and mission trips, and the weekly teaching responsibilities are all needed elements to a full year of ministry. Though necessary, these to-dos are not and cannot be the primary goal. The difference that ministry leaders have from business professionals, or the rest of corporate America is that for anything to be genuinely meaningful, God must be the central focus of every decision made. Without reliance on the power of His Holy Spirit, our effort is in vain.
Ryan & Annie Brown (their rookie year in student ministry)
Paul reminds the people of Colossae to do all things as unto the Lord and not man. We need the power of God to do the work of God. King Amaziah needed this reminder and so do we. Allowing the Lord to lead our ministries requires surrender and obedience. Rather than becoming worried about finances or selecting the “best” camp, leaders have opportunity to trust that God is able to give us much more than we can imagine (Ephesians 2:20). Just as a parent has been entrusted with their children, youth leaders are given the brief opportunity to impact adolescents for Christ. Believing and trusting that God knows what our students need in every season of ministry will lead to incredible heart transformation.
As youth leaders, we have the opportunity and responsibility to intentionally pray for the power of God to invade our ministries. This can happen in the private space of our office and should take place within group settings. For more on this topic, click the button below for Sara’s March article “Cultivating the Spiritual Disciple of Prayer Within our Students”
The desires that a student ministry leader has for their students begins to run parallel with God’s desires as we delightfully seek Him in prayer (Psalm 37:4). Youth leader, how can you further incorporate regular prayer gatherings with your volunteers, staff, and students? Inviting every ministry participant to earnestly seek the power of God for both big and small events have the potential to build lasting unity around a central, godly mission.
The overall trajectory of Acts began with these words: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). God’s power and His Holy Spirit equips believers to fulfill the mutual and individual purpose we have been given. Apart from Christ we can do nothing. Whether in our personal life or ministerial vocation, we are desperate for a growing reliance on the power of God to lead us in glorifying the name above every other. Moses acknowledged his insufficiency before the Great I Am at the burning bush. God promised to be with Him in leading the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt (Exodus 3). The disciples were puzzled when told them to perform miracles, yet Jesus offered assurance because the Holy Spirit would speak through each of them (Matthew 10).
So how did amaziah do?
Amaziah was uncertain about the outcome that sending the 100,000 soldiers’ home to the northern tribes of Israel would have, yet his courage increased, he led his people, and through God, he struck down the enemy.
So, the movie finishes fantastic, the good guys win, and all is good within the kingdom, right?
Unfortunately, his lack of complete devotion led to later idolatry.
So, what can we learn from this leader’s journey?
Do you see it? Ongoing obedience and complete reliance on God is the call we have been given. Just like Amaziah and the other biblical characters mentioned, we too have been given the gift of a Helper to sustain us in our weakness and lead us into victory. May we strategically plan to have focused prayer time on a consistent basis, requesting God to do what only He can. Giving the enemy wiggle room to distract us can easily happen when we fail to bring our requests before God, acknowledging that He alone is able to give us much more. Youth leader, may we be about His purpose rather than our plans that will fail.
Be Encouraged,
-AB
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