This verse hits like a ton of bricks

Feb 17, 2026

When God Leaves

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So when the envoys arrived from the Babylonian officials to visit him and inquire about the sign that occurred in the land, God left him alone to test him, in order to know his true motives.

2 Chronicles 32:31 (NET)

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🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱

*Thud*

…

What should we do with this one?

I’ve sung quite a few worship songs about how God will never leave me nor forsake me. So what’s this verse doing here?

First, God didn’t abandon him, He was testing him.

By the way, this is about King Hezekiah.

As you probably already know, it’s pretty easy to trust God when things are going great. Hezekiah had done a lot of great work, and succeeded in much of what he did.

Yet here we have God testing him.

We see God testing his people throughout the Bible.

Job is the one that comes to mind first.

Paul talks about a thorn in his flesh that God refused to remove.

Maybe you’ve even come across times when it’s felt like God has abandoned you.

What if He was just testing you, to see your true motives?

I don’t know why God does this, but I know He’s still good, all the time.

I wish I had better thoughts to share. This one is hard. It’s not a nice little memory verse that we would print out on a coffee cup and remind ourselves with each cup o’ joe.

No, this is a hard verse to read.

And especially hard to live through.

Well, if we’re going to be tested, we better study the material. I’d start with His book. Then I’d make sure to get to know Him (i.e., build a relationship with prayer).

Time to study!

— Ricky Ketchum

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV®Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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