Fumble
2 Kings 18:1-16

"Keep your eye on the ball."  That's a common piece of advice for anyone who has played almost any kind of sport.  Whether it's tennis or baseball, football or basketball, it's where the ball is and where it is going that determines the outcome of the game.  Keeping track of it is vital to winning or losing.

Hezekiah started out keeping his eye on the ball.  Under his leadership, Judah experienced one of its greatest periods of revival.  He turned the people's eyes back onto the Lord God and did everything he could to remove anything that could turn them away from Him and back to the idols of the land, tearing down the sites and objects of worship so that they would not be tempted to return to sinful practices.

But then, disaster struck in the north.  Israel, who had split from Judah many years ago, was overrun by Assyria and taken into captivity.  Eight years later, Assyria was knocking on Judah's door, taking fortified cities and threatening to destroy the nation.  In that moment, Hezekiah took his eyes off the Lord and saw the very real threat to his nation's existence.  He took his eyes off the ball, and as a result, he fumbled.

Out of fear, Hezekiah surrendered the treasures of the palace as well as the treasures of the Lord to the king of Assyria, hoping to buy peace.  His faith in the Lord wavered.  He did what he could do to save his people, rather than watching to see what God would do.  He was even willing to sacrifice the things of God to ensure security.

We are not so different at times.  We profess our faith, walking in the ways of the Lord, honoring Him in our lives.  But then threats appear -- strained relationships, job uncertainty, health concerns, financial struggles -- and we turn our focus on those things, away from the One who has promised that He's got it all under control.  We begin to try to fix the situation ourselves, putting God on the back burner while we desperately try to get our lives under control once again.  Hearing God's word takes a back seat to the world's advice, seeing God's blessings become overshadowed by what has been thrown at us, feeling God's presence is replaced by feelings of fear and anxiety.

Our faith isn't perfect, but it is being perfected.  That's why Paul tells us to rejoice when, not if but when, we face trials of many kinds, because we know that these trials are working to perfect us, to build the trust and perseverance we need to have in God.  It's why Jesus tells us to seek God's kingdom first and let Him handle the rest.  But there will be times when we take our eyes off the ball, and we fumble.  The good news is that a fumble is not the end of the game.  Just as we can see if we continue reading in 2 Kings, Hezekiah recovered.  He turned his eyes back onto what was important, God Himself, and saw God prevail through even greater adversity.  We, too, can make it through whatever trials are facing us if we turn our eyes back on Him.

Father, there's a lot going on in our lives.  We see sickness, poverty, depression, and heartache in so many around us, and sometimes we wonder when these will hit us personally, if they haven't already.  It is so easy to take our eyes off of you and focus them on the evils assaulting us.  Teach us, Lord.  Train us to keep our eyes on you no matter what comes our way, knowing that you are using everything that happens to mold us, shape us, change us into those who will trust that you do indeed have all things in your hands.  In Jesus' name, amen.