"For the eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth to show himself strong for those who are wholeheartedly devoted to him. You have been foolish in this matter. Therefore, you will have wars from now on." 2 Chronicles 16:9
King Asa was a good man who ruled over Judah. He feared the Lord, and when given the kingship set out to remove all the altars of any foreign gods from the kingdom that was set up by the former King (his father) and commanded all of Judah to seek the Lord God and to observe His commandments (2 Chr. 14:1-4).
God blessed Him with a fortified kingdom; large armies made of valiant men; and prosperous cities with strong and secure walls. At one time, his mighty men (of approximately 580,000) faced an army of one million men, but with King Asa's faith in God he prayed and God heard and was with them (2 Chr. 14:11,12). Following this Judah enjoyed many years of peace (no wars), for God had given them rest (2 Chr.14:6).
God sent prophets throughout his reign to encourage him, to keep him on the straight and narrow, following His commands and through Asa and ultimately Judah's obedience, God blessed the land (2 Chr. 15:15).
Now King Asa's sin took place when he made a treaty with Baasha king of Israel. He sought out protection from this King instead of seeking the Lord (2 Chr. 16:3) which was judged as a failure to trust in the Lord (2 Chr. 16:7). As soon as this happened God sent the prophet Hanani with a message, which is our opening verse (2 Chr. 16:9). Through this message he became enraged and turned His back on the Lord and threw Hanani in prison. He became a King of oppression to many (2 Chr. 16:10). During the thirty-ninth year of King Asa's reign he became ill and died in his forty-first year of reign, never once seeking out the Lord (2 Chr. 16:12).
Does King Asa's spiritual walk match yours? We must always and only seek the Lord our God. He is with us and will fight for us. He smooths our path (like pulling ripples out of a wayward rug) throughout our lives; each day; every moment sometimes without us even noticing the wave in the first place. He desires for us to genuinely seek and obey Him. He also knows we are made of human flesh and have a tendency to chase the wind at any given moment. But He is there to redirect and send encouragement our way. When we call out to Him for guidance and move in His direction He lavishes us with all we need. We just have to be sure and rid ourselves of all sin, even the little ones that creep back in and become sources of contempt and failure, because we will fall to them if not careful.
When Christ lives in us we are changed. Our hearts are made for Him and we are drawn to His ways. We have to stand strong when life gets hard and seek His face when we can barely hold ours up. We have the Holy Spirit in us so that daily desiring the things of the Spirit is not foreign to us but natural (Rom. 5:5).
So girls, let's move forward with Jesus in our heart, the Word of truth in our hand, and the peace which passes all understanding that He is alive and well. God is our mighty warrior, all we have to do is call on His name. Hallelujah!
I love you & He loves you more!
Lord, May we rest in knowing that You are in control and You go to battle for us even when we don't see You. May we have a hunger and a passion to know You more and a desire to understand Your Word. Thank You for Your perfect care for us. Amen.
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