Godly Sorrow
When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.
It is rare to see extreme displays of Godly sorrow nowadays, but there are historic incidents of such grief. I remember reading of one particular incident during the Hebridean Revival (1949 – 1952), people on leaving a public house/bar were struck by the Holy Spirit’s presence on their island. Suddenly they were distressed at their sinfulness before a Holy God, they congregated weeping on their knees before the local police station because they knew the sergeant to be a Godly man.
King Josiah of Judah was a young man in his twenties when the Book of the Law was discovered and presented to him, which he read. What he read in the scriptures brought him to grief, for years his nation had sinned against God. The sight of the King suddenly crying in anguish and tearing his robes would be a startling sight, as was the scene of weeping souls before a police station on a remote Scottish island.
Dear reader, many souls were saved and had changed lives in the Hebrides from their moment of sorrow. King Josiah brought his nation back to God as a result of his sorrow. Such sorrow is the work of God. Have we personally grieved God today, have we need to weep and repent before our Holy God? He will hear us as He heard the islanders and King Josiah: “…because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,” declares the Lord.” (2 Chronicles 34:27 NASB)
Alan Kearns is a Christian father and grandfather from Scotland. He was raised in the mining villages of Fife and came to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior in 1984. A major influence that leads Alan to Jesus was his Christian mum, grandparents and an aunt. Alan writes regular devotionals in his blog Devotional Treasures
Excellent…. filled with truth… filled with so much meaning and depth. God bless you.. thank you for sharing these words.