Solomon's ships came home loaded with treasure. But Jehoshaphat's fleet? It never even reached the land of gold. The ships lay shattered at Ezion-geber, broken on the rocks before the journey began.

Here is a mystery: Providence blesses one man and frustrates another in the exact same venture, at the exact same harbor. Yet the Great Ruler is just as good and just as wise in both outcomes. What grace we need today to bless the Lord for broken ships as readily as we bless Him for ships heavy with gold! Let us not envy those who succeed where we have failed. Let us not grumble about our losses as if we were the only ones who ever watched our dreams shatter.

Like Jehoshaphat, you may be precious in God's sight even when your best plans end in splinters and saltwater.

But here's what demands our attention—the hidden cause of Jehoshaphat's disaster. It is the same root that produces so much suffering for God's people today. It was his alliance with a godless family. His partnership with those who hated his God. Second Chronicles tells us plainly what happened. The Lord sent a prophet who declared: "Because you have joined yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord has broken your works."

This was a Father's discipline. And it seems the lesson hit home, because the very next verse shows Jehoshaphat refusing to let his servants sail again with the wicked king's men.

Would to God that Jehoshaphat's costly education might save the rest of us from the same tuition! Do not yoke yourself to unbelievers. A life of misery awaits those who bind themselves—in marriage, in business, in any partnership of their own choosing—with those who reject their Lord.

O for such love for Jesus that we, like Him, might be holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from those who mock what we treasure! For if we compromise here, we should not be surprised to hear those terrible words again and again: "The Lord has broken your works."