The Eyes of the Lord

“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to show Himself strong for those whose hearts are completely His.” (2 Chronicles 17:9a CSB)

Shortly after Asa became king of Judah, a one-million man army showed up on his doorsteps. He was able to muster an army of 580,000, which meant he was out-numbered 2 to 1. Asa genuinely cried out to God for help, and the Lord responded by routing the Cushite army. Judah enjoyed a great victory. What followed then was a great revival as Asa led the people to remove their idols and seek only the Lord.

Fast-forward about 35 years later, following great prosperity in Judah. King Basha of Israel went to war against Asa. He began to fortify the city of Ramah to choke off all trade from the north. Asa collected the gold and silver from the treasuries of the Temple and sent them to the king of Aram to get him to attack Israel so the Israelites would release their choke-hold. The strategy worked. The Israelites ceased their fortifications of Ramah and withdrew to fight Aram. Asa then sent his men to Ramah, who then dismantled the fortifications and used the materials to fortify several of the cities in Judah.

God sent the seer Hanani with a message. The message went generally like this, “The Cushites and Libyans brought a vast army against you, and you depended on the Lord to rescue you. Now, you have foolishly depended on the king of Aram for your rescue. From here on, war will be your lot.” The message angered Asa, and he put Hanani in prison. Asa developed a disease in his feet but even then would not seek the Lord.

Why is it that, when we have no resources we tend to depend on the Lord, but when He then blesses us with resources, we tend to depend on them rather than on Him? The Lord seeks those who want to tie their lives and their futures to Him in personal faith. That is why “the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth, to show Himself strong to those whose hearts are completely His.”

Lord, May our hearts be completely Yours, whether the resources You give us are abundant or not. May our hearts be fully in tune with Your heart. Amen.