He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah
had done. He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who
instructed him in the fear[b] of God. As
long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success. 2 Chronicles 26:4-5
But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall.
He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar
of incense. 2 Chronicles
26:16
Many
people succeed without God in their lives, so the question really must be, what
is success? If success is to make money
and become powerful, you don’t need God.
If success is to expand God’s kingdom and make an impact for him, then,
yes, you’ll need God’s favor and blessing.
Uzziah
reigned in Jerusalem for fifty-two years.
He did all God asked him to do.
Uzziah was successful. Then
Uzziah became prideful and tried to burn incense to false gods in the
temple. God gave him leprosy. Uzziah failed and ended life on a note of
shame.
Our
relationship with God directly impacts our effectiveness for God, in our lives
and in our world. However, if we don’t
want God telling us what to do, we may be successful in the world, but risk a
shameful final act without him.