Trust

“For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.” - 2 Chronicles 16:9

King Asa started so well! Faced with a formidable and sizeable enemy, he “called to the Lord his God and said, ‘LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty.’” And of course, God defeated Asa’s enemy before his very eyes.

King Asa then brought reform to Judah and turned them back to God. Azariah, in the unction of the Spirit, said to him, “Listen to me, Asa … the LORD is with you when you are with Him.” How encouraging! The security of knowing God is on your side, come what may.

Fast forward 30 years. King Asa has been very successful and Judah has lived in peace. But a tragic shift has been taking place in his heart. Baasha, King of Israel came against Judah in what was probably a coup - a takeover bid. In his panic, King Asa sought help from… well, not God this time… but Ben-Hadad, King of Aram (also an enemy of the people of God, by the way!). Asa gave him silver and gold and asked him to defend Judah against Baasha. Ben-Hadad agreed. So, job done, right?

Hanani the seer came to Asa and said, “Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the King of Aram has escaped from your hand. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.” Hanani reminded Asa of what he’d already known and experienced, “ …the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.”

Friends, how often do we try to solve things our way first, before eventually handing the situation to God? And sometimes, it might even seem like our human methods are successful. But all we’ve done is lure ourselves into believing the false gospel of our own self-sufficiency.

Being fully committed to God means acknowledging our dependency on Him and allowing Him to guide, instruct, and provide. May we be a people who take Him at His word and trust Him in all things.

- Ps. Nigel