2 Chronicles 15: 1, 2 “Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Obed, and he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: ‘Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.”
Dear God,
Thank You for all life, including my own, and the lives of my precious daughter and children who quite often come to my house. Today I ask that You come into my life and heart again, so that I can really know, love and obey You more fully. I ask that You also be my guide and strength, so that I represent You truly, whether I am at home, church or community.
I am ever mindful that it is You who has entrusted me to be a helper and instructor to the small children, whilst they are here, and to be helpful to my daughter, when I am asked.
The passage outlining the message Azariah gave to Asa, brings a message for me today also, and for my benefit I will repeat it, V2 “…….The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.” The circumstances are different of course, for at the time, Asa ruled the Israelite southern kingdom of Judah and Benjamin, and they had not yet fully forsaken You. Many of the rulers had forsaken You, but many of their subjects had not.
Of course we can also partly forsake You and not realize we have done so. I take the message with me, no matter what I have done, or how hard the times, You are with me while I am with You, and when I look, I will always find you. I am then never forsaken by You!
You are always a God of justice and mercy, but never can excuse sin, whether it seems small to us, or rampant apostasy. Praise Your wonderful name, for us and as in the case of the Judeans, V 4 “But when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them.”
This is such good news, when we truly repent and return to You, acceptance is ours. Such love is beyond human comprehension, and so today, I just rejoice in Your love and grace, and in the knowledge that this love is all encompassing. It is true for all people today, as it was Asa and his people.
I am again assured, that no matter the trouble and turmoil for me, I just have to heed the prophets words in V 7 “But you, be strong and do not let Your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.”
I am full of praises, for I needed this message so much just now.
Amen