“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.”
After all we heard yesterday of those who had worked in fidelity to the Lord to save the life of Joash and see that he was crowned king, now we hear how his heart was turned to break the covenant made with the Lord. And when Zechariah the priest rebukes him, Joash orders Zechariah to be murdered in the Temple itself! Zechariah dies hoping in the Lord who remains ever faithful to His covenant. Nor was Zechariah’s hope disappointed. Not only because Joash indeed receives the reward of his treacherous deeds, but also because the Lord’s fidelity and justice encompass far more than simply the world as we see it here and now. By turning to the Lord for strength in our weakness, by trusting in His call to love in deeds despite the cost, we are allowing the Lord who clothes the fields and feeds the birds of the air to fill us with what our hearts most truly need and desire: union with Him. In the very action of admitting our weakness, lifting our minds and hearts to the Lord, and cooperating with His grace, we begin to live even now the life which He offers to us for all eternity, communion with Him. Let us seek His kingdom, for He promises discovery to the one who seeks.