In review of 2 Chronicles 16:9 it says, “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (NLT).
Today’s verse comes from 2 Chronicles 16:7-10. This section takes place after King Asa decides to take matters into his own hands and makes a pact with neighboring king instead of trusting in the Lord. After that Hanani the seer came to King Asa and told him, "Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram instead of the Lord your God, you missed your chance to destroy the army of the king of Aram. Don't you remember what happened to the Ethiopians and Libyans and their vast army, with all of their chariots and charioteers. At that time you relied on the Lord, and he handed them over to you. The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war.” Asa became so angry with Hanani for saying this that he threw him into prison and put him in stocks. At that time Asa also began to oppress some of his people.
What I understand is that both Judah and Israel suffered from faithless forgetfulness! Although God had delivered them even when they were outnumbered, they repeatedly sought help from pagan nations rather than from God. With help from God Alone, Asa had defeated the Ethiopians in open battle. But his confidence in God had slipped, and now he sought only a human solution to his problem. It is not sin to use human means to solve our problems, but it is sin to trust them more than God, to think they are better than God's ways, or to leave God completely out of the problem-solving process.
The Bible tells me three things about the importance of faith.
1. God is looking for faithful people. God is physically, visibly, actively taking the initiative to look for faithful people that he can bless. Second Chronicles 16:9 says, “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (NLT). What this teaches me is that If I make myself, God will wear me out. If I get “blessable,” he will bless me! God is looking for faithful people that he can use.
2. Faithful people are hard to find. The Bible says in Proverbs 20:6, “Everyone talks about how faithful he is, but just try to find someone who really is!” (GNT). A lot of people talk the talk, but they don’t really trust God. They may trust their credit card instead. They say they believe in God, but they don’t really trust him when it comes to their finances, health, or job. Psalm 53:2-3 says this: “God looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one!” (NLT).
3. Faithfulness is the key to blessing and victory. First John 5:4-5 says, “For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God” (NLT). The Bible says in Proverbs 28:20, “A faithful man will have many blessings” (HCSB).
So to obtain his blessings, I’ll have to learn and practice faithfulness. It shouldn’t be a surprise that God will test my faithfulness in different ways and not always in the way or timing I would like. I need to decide and make the choice to let him grow me in this area so that I can be a person of faith.
Bottom Line:
The Lord searches and will strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
What this means to me:
If my heart is fully committed to him, he will help strengthen me.
In summary, the Lord is not absent, God is looking for faithful people. If my heart is committed to him, He will strengthen me. I have to admit that I do find myself suffering from faithless forgetfulness, and looking for other places or myself over Him to solve problems. I need to be cautious to not let my confidence slip or to give up hope, or even convince myself that my way is better; leaving God out of the process. I can't just talk the talk, I need to walk the talk (I experienced a situation this week with an employee, I thought I had been doing this universally, but in this case I was not.) My faithfulness will be the key to blessing and victory and ultimately doing his will. So I need to learn to practice faithfulness. In addition I should know that God will test my faithfulness, probably in ways I’m not expecting. I need to make the conscious choice to let him grow me.
This morning Father I pray, “you help me determine where my heart is. That you help remind me via the Holy Spirit to be faithful and put my trust in you. Let me look to you for help and guidance in solving problems and situations. I also pray for guidance in my daily interactions with team members and co-workers. Allow me to clearly think through priorities and put together plans to accomplish what seems like the endless supply of task. In Jesus name, Amen!”
0 comments:
Post a Comment