At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him,“Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the Lord, he gave them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”
2 Chronicles 16:7-9
Have you ever looked at the promises of God in the Bible and wondered why (or if) they don’t apply to you? Considering that the Word of God is Active and breathing, it is a wonder that many people who claim Jesus don’t feel close to Him, or that He Answers them in Prayer. In my own study this morning, I learned of Judah’s King Asa (I had read this before, but for some reason this part of Israel’s History stuck out to me today). For most of his life, he was completely dependent on the Lord in his reign of Judah, and God gave him peace (with a few exceptions). Yet toward the end of his life, when the rebellious northern Kingdom of Israel annexed Ramah, Asa cleared out the treasuries of the temple to bribe the King of Syria to help him removed them. God was angered by this. Why? Because God had rescued Asa from an army of over a million from Ethiopia (Cush) when Asa had 400,000 men and cried out to the Lord, who heard him, and delivered them. God wanted Asa’s complete submission, yet Asa began to depend on his own strength. Because of this, Asa no longer had peace, as he had when he depended on God.
Why this history lesson? Because for many of us (myself included), we learn to look at our wealth, our jobs, our abilities to pay the rent, as it were, and we take out loans, as Asa did, instead of depending on God almighty. Generations later, Syria would be a problem for both Israel and Judah. When we try to depend on our own abilities, they catch up to us: Spiritually speaking, the rent comes due, and we get stuck in situations our pride won’t let us ask God’s help or to seek dependence on Him for the answer. God wants our complete dependence and submission to Him. He knows us intimately , better than we know ourselves! He has our good in mind, always. We just need to trust Him in all things.
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