In 1547, nine-year-old Edward VI became King of England after his father, Henry VIII, died.

King Edward VI was a child when his father Henry VIII died. Expectations were high when Edward VI was crowned. It was hoped that the new king would enjoy a long and successful reign, resolving the religious problems of the day. But Edward died of tuberculosis only a few years after taking the throne, long before any of these expectations could be met. In fact, Edward never ruled the country himself. His uncle, the Duke of Somerset, governed as regent because Edward was so young.

Maybe you are nine years old or know someone who is nine. Imagine being the ruler of an entire country! Imagine your friends and family calling you “King” or “Queen.” A pretty scary thought, isn’t it? But this wasn’t the first time that a young person was named king. In Bible times, Joash was only seven years old when he became king. Unlike the unfortunate Edward, Joash ruled for forty years. At first, Joash got off to a good start. He had a wise advisor, Jehoiada, who helped him to follow God’s laws. But when Jehoiada died, Joash began listening to the wrong advice. Instead of obeying and relying on God’s Word, Joash led his people into evil. Eventually, his own officials killed him.

Both Edward and Joash depended on those around them for good advice. We need to do the same. But eventually we need to begin making our own decisions. As a youngster, Joash knew about God because of his wise helper, Jehoiada. But Joash needed his own relationship with God. We do, too. It’s OK to learn from our parents and our Sunday-school teachers about God, but at some point we need to make our own decision about following God.

Have you?

“Choose to love the Lord your God and to obey him and commit yourself to him, for he is your life” (Deuteronomy 30:20).

To Do

Make a timeline of your personal history. Start with the day you were born. Mark other important events in your life. Put a star on events that were significant to your spiritual growth, such as the day you were baptized and the day you first shared your faith with a friend.

Also on this day . . .

National Kazoo Day

1878—The first telephone switchboard was installed in New Haven, Connecticut.

1938—The first ski tow started operation in Vermont.

1986—The space shuttle Challenger exploded just after takeoff, killing all seven of its crew.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.