Lessons on Jotham (3)—A Decision Has to Be Made - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2026

Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God.
2 Chronicles 27:6

Lessons on Jotham (3)—A Decision Has to Be Made
Jotham did what God instructed His people to do, and he became strong. There is a beautiful promise in Psalm 50:23 in this regard: "To one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!" But there is also something very important and evident behind the fact that he ordered his ways before the Lord his God: it was his decision of heart to walk in such a way. His commitment is seen in his zeal for the house of God: he built the upper gate, which is to the north. This is the first time we read of a king building something on the house of God since his great-grandfather Joash. Jotham invested in God's things in every way.

Have I settled in my heart to order my ways before God? Not as a vague desire or a yes with no action after it. A decision has to be made. Am I engaging my will, my energy, my all, just as Jotham did, and this, despite the evil that is all around? It is necessary to grow stronger spiritually, and increase in zeal for the Lord. A decision has to be made, and I must be daily committed to it—and if I failed yesterday, there is still grace for today. Jotham voluntarily chose to order his ways before the Lord, and he was blessed. Of course, there is no strength in us to "produce" the Christian life, nor to "have" spiritual blessings. The Spirit of God produces the fruit in our life, and we are given all blessings by our God and Father, and they are in Christ. After Paul presents the marvelous ways of God and our position in Christ, he immediately beseeches us "to present [our] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God" (Rom. 12:1).

We have more than Jotham: we already have abundant life and every blessing in Christ. But the actual growth and enjoyment of them are by the Spirit of God, in fellowship with God. Have I decided to order my ways before the Lord? Let us go to the Lord and ask His blessing on us as we do so this very day.

Alexandre Leclerc