When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed. He remained hidden with his nurse at the temple of the LORD for six years while Athaliah ruled the land. 2 Kings 11:1-3

Jehoida hid Joash for six years in the temple. Later the text tells us that he was seven years old when he began to reign! Throughout history, boys like this have been hidden from ruthless leaders. Take Moses for instance. His life was in jeopardy from Pharoah, so his mother placed him in the Nile river. He was picked up by Pharoah’s daughter, who reared him as her own son. As another example, look at Jesus. His parents had to flee to Egypt because of Herod’s decree. The most vulnerable in a society seem to frequently be the easy target of tyrannical leaders, often because of their own insecurities and tentative hold on power.

Fortunately, there are those who stand beside the vulnerable. You’ll never see these people in the news. You’ll never know their names. They are the people who stand up for the elderly, abused women, the homeless, the refugees, and the unborn. Obviously there are other groups that fit into that category. Look at those groups again. Are there any that resonate within your spirit? Is there a way you can lend a hand just once or twice a month? Or more.

Jehosheba hid the baby king for six years, without fanfare or praise from the outside world. Sometimes we just need to do this kind of thing, without fanfare and without praise.