Jeroboam had turned his back on God and worshipped other gods, so in order to get his attention, God made his son ill. And Jeroboam sent his wife to talk to the prophet Ahijah. But instead of asking Ahijah to ask God to heal the boy, or to ask what he might do to make things right with God, he just told her to find out if the boy would live or die.

My goodness. When my son Steven was at death’s door, the lovely lady LeeAnn and I cried before the Lord, asking Him to heal our son. And I know in my heart of hearts, I took an inventory and asked God to forgive me for anything I had done, and to please not make Steven suffer because of anything I had done.

But Jeroboam had so separated himself from God that it never occurred to him that repentance was needed. And that is truly how the ungodly person behaves. It never occurs to them that there is Someone to whom they can go when their world falls apart, and for sure they don’t even consider that God might be trying to get their attention.

I pray that my heart, and yours, will always be sensitive to God, and that when we sin, we will quickly confess our sin to the One who has the power to forgive.