More than a momentary miracle

6 So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying, “O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the Lord God of their fathers, so that he made them a desolation, as you see. 8 Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. 9 For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.” II Chronicles 30

Hezekiah, besides having a really cool sounding name, made some pretty cool things, like "Return to the LORD."  He had just experienced the power of the LORD in their deliverance from invasion by the mighty Assyrian empire. He did not want the opportunity to be missed, when it was so clear, for his people to learn a spiritual lesson that would change their lives.  So many times we let these teachable moments pass, without going deep into what has happened. GOD had just shown his character: that He is gracious and merciful, as well as powerful.  We tend to see either one side or the other, seeing God as a big ogre to be avoided, or a tender doughboy to not be feared.  HE is neither. It is only when we see Him in His fullness that we can and do respond properly to Him. Otherwise, rather than running toward Him, we either run from Him or ignore Him. Don't miss the moments, when God gets your attention, to turn and look intently not only at what has happened, but what it reveals about God.