When Pride Runs the Palace, Grace Still Knocks
A once-broken doorway made whole, a quiet picture of pride surrendered and worship restored.
Devotional Source: Day by Day by Grace, Bob Hoekstra
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Manasseh’s story reads like a caution sign posted on the road of every heart. He was raised in Jerusalem, in the long shadow of a godly father. Yet he rebuilt what should have stayed torn down. He filled the land with what God had already cleared away. He even dragged idols into the very place where God had said His name would dwell. The writer of Chronicles does not soften the account. Manasseh led Judah into practices that were darker than the nations God had driven out.
Here is the mercy in the middle. The Lord spoke to Manasseh and to his people. He did not shrug and walk away. He addressed them, again and again, inviting surrender. They would not listen, so captivity came. Hooks, chains, humiliation, a long road to Babylon. Even there, the story is not over. The God who warns is the God who restores the one who turns.
Bob Hoekstra’s meditation invites us to look at pride that rebuilds old altars, then to listen for grace that keeps knocking. We are not trapped by yesterday’s choices. The same Lord who confronted Manasseh also met him in distress. When he humbled himself, he found that God had not moved away.
Read this with the lens of the abiding life. We are not saved into a corner. We are united with Jesus, who lives in us, and by His Spirit we can stop rebuilding what He has already crucified. Pride is a poor architect. Grace is a better builder. The Lord speaks, we yield, and He restores worship in the deepest place.
Journal Entry - Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I am the Spirit of the Lord who speaks to you in love. I confront pride because I love you. I am not content to watch you rebuild what My Son has already put to death. When you set up old altars, I call you back. When you chase lesser lights, I turn your eyes to Jesus, the One in whom My fullness dwells. I do not condemn you in Christ. I invite you to walk as the new creation you are.
When your heart hardens, I resist the pride that harms you, yet I give grace as you bow low. Humility is not self-loathing. Humility is truth in My presence. It says, Lord, You are right, and I yield. In that place, I renew your mind, I write My ways within you, and I lead you to tear down what cannot give life. I restore worship in the temple that you are.
If discipline comes, do not mistake it for abandonment. A father trains the child he loves. In distress, turn to Me. I hear from heaven. In Jesus you are clean, you are brought near, you are alive to God. I set you free from the rule of sin to walk by My life within you. I work in you to will and to do what pleases the Father. As you abide, I produce fruit that no idol can ever yield.
Today, listen. When I nudge you about an altar you have rebuilt, agree with Me. Reckon yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Jesus. Present yourself to Me. I will empower what I command. I will lift your chin, steady your steps, and make your life a quiet place where My presence is honored again.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of a kitchen range after a spill. Sauce boils over, hardens on the stovetop, and you keep cooking right over the mess. Burnt residue smokes and sticks to every new meal. Cleaning begins when the heat is off and the surface is yielded to the scrub that removes what does not belong. Pride keeps the burner on. Humility turns the knob to off, lets things cool, and allows a thorough clean.
A simple practice for today. When you notice an old pattern flaring up, pause your response, then quietly yield your next step to the Lord. For example, before replying to a tense text, say, Lord, I entrust this conversation to You, live Your wisdom and gentleness through me right now, then type with a settled heart. You are not managing yourself by grit. You are relying on the Spirit of Jesus within you to express His life through you in the moment.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that in Jesus I am not abandoned to pride or habit. Thank You for speaking to me when I wander, for drawing me when I resist, and for restoring worship in the temple of my life. I agree with You about the altars I have rebuilt. In Jesus, those claims are finished. I gratefully present myself to You as one alive from the dead. Thank You for Your Spirit within, who works in me to will and to do what pleases You. I rest in Your full provision, and I walk today in the life of Jesus that is my life. Amen.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
2 Chronicles 33:1-20; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Psalm 51:1-12; Psalm 103:10-14; Isaiah 1:18; Ezekiel 36:26-27; John 1:16; John 14:16-18; John 15:1-11; Acts 3:19; Romans 5:20-21; Romans 6:1-14; Romans 8:1-11; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:20; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 2:4-10; Colossians 1:27; Colossians 3:1-17; Philippians 2:12-13; Hebrews 12:5-11; James 4:6-10; 1 Peter 5:5-10; 1 John 1:7-9