2 Chronicles 33:12-13

Now when he was in affliction, he implored the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.

2 Chronicles 33:12-13

When Hezekiah, Judah’s king, was ill and at the point of death, he asked the Lord for more time, and God granted him 15 more years. He didn’t use that time wisely. Hezekiah showed a small nation named Babylon the temple and all his riches, leading the Babylonians to come after Judah eventually. Also, during that time, he sired a son named Manasseh, who would be a terrible king of Judah for 50 years.

After 50 years, the Lord was ready to judge him when Manasseh prayed to the Lord for forgiveness. When I first read this story, I thought, “Yeah, right, buddy, 50 years of terrible, wicked leadership. You’ve gone too far!” Yet, look at the verses above: God heard Manasseh and restored him to his kingdom.

There’s a great lesson to be learned from the life of Manasseh. No one is out of God’s reach. If you think you’ve sinned too much, look at Manasseh. If you think the Lord would never forgive you, look at Manasseh. God waited 50 years for this wicked king to repent, and once he did, God forgave him. He wants to forgive you, too.

Never out of God’s reach,

Pastor Ron Kitchell