Keeping Hope Alive When Things Unravel

In 1 Kings 12, the chickens of Solomon’s sin come home to roost. As the kingdom tears apart, Rehoboam and Jeroboam make decisions driven by their desire for power, control and security, setting Israel on a disastrous path. The story offers a warning for us: how can we avoid looking back on our own lives with the painful realisation that things have unravelled? Yet even as the kingdom falls apart, God remains in control and continues to work out his purposes. This chapter challenges us to consider where we place our trust, how we respond when we have power, and whether we are willing to trust God’s ways rather than grasping for control ourselves.