Day 24 — The Boy King

“Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.”

— 2 Kings 22:1–2 (BSB)

Imagine becoming king of an entire country when you’re eight years old!

That’s what happened to Josiah. His father, King Amon, had been a wicked king, and so had his grandfather, King Manasseh, for most of his life. They had led the people to worship idols. They had filled the land with evil. And then Josiah’s father was killed, and the little boy became king.

With a family history like that, you might expect Josiah to turn out badly too. But he didn’t. The Bible says: “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD… he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.”

When Josiah was sixteen, he began to seek God with his whole heart. As a young man, he started cleaning up the country, tearing down idols and false altars everywhere.

Then, while workers were repairing God’s temple, the high priest found something amazing: the Book of the Law, God’s Word, which had been lost and forgotten for years! When they read it to Josiah, he was heartbroken to see how far his people had drifted from God. He tore his clothes as a sign of sorrow.

Then Josiah gathered all the people together, read God’s Word out loud to them, and made a promise to follow the LORD with all his heart and soul. And he led the whole nation back to God.

Josiah teaches us two important things.

Your family’s past doesn’t decide your future. Josiah’s father and grandfather were wicked. But Josiah chose a different path. Maybe your family has hard stuff in its story. You can still choose to follow God. You can be the one who starts something new.

You’re never too young to make a difference. Josiah was a boy when he became king, and a teenager when he began to seek God. Kids can choose to follow God with their whole hearts, and God can use them to change things.

Josiah “did not turn aside to the right or to the left.” He stayed on God’s path.

A true story: Eric Liddell was the fastest runner in Scotland. In 1924, he was chosen to run for his country in the Olympic Games, and everyone expected him to win the 100-meter race. But when the schedule came out, his race was on a Sunday. Eric believed Sunday was set apart for God, so he refused to run, even for an Olympic gold medal. People called him foolish. Instead, he trained for the 400 meters, which wasn’t his best race. He won the gold medal and set a world record. Later, he gave up his fame to serve God as a missionary in China. He didn’t turn aside to the right or to the left. You can read his whole story in Brave for God.

Think about it: How does Josiah’s story encourage you if your family or friends aren’t following God?

Try this: Decide today to “not turn aside” in one specific area. Write it down: “With God’s help, I will…”

Dear God, thank You for Josiah, who followed You even though his family hadn’t. Help me not to turn aside from Your way. Help me seek You with my whole heart, even though I’m young. Use me to make a difference. In Jesus’ name, Amen.