Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded, and he went out to meet King Asa as he was returning from the battle. “Listen to me, Asa!†he shouted. “Listen, all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you…Â
But as for you, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded…
All in Judah were happy about this covenant, for they had entered into it with all their heart. They earnestly sought after God, and they found him. And the Lord gave them rest from their enemies on every side. Â Â Â Â Â Â 2 Chronicles 15:1-2, 7, 15 (NLT)
Our LORD is sooooo polite. He will not force His way into my day. If I think I am too busy to fit Him into my day, then He won’t be in my day. And then the second busy day goes by; the third day; a week; a month… And where am I? That’s what happened to me when I was 19. I was in college, working on the weekends, going out and partying with my friends. I was busy and having fun! I didn’t go to church. I didn’t pray. I was my own person. When a crisis or major decision came into my life, I sat down and weighed the pros and cons and I talked to my friends. I had never had a ‘conversation’ with God. I had only recited prayers. Nothing personal. I went back to church but I went back because I thought it was a good idea for my children. It was a good social club to be involved in. It was a club that was well attended and expected by my local family. Thirty years went by. My life was in shambles. My marriage was broken. My children were off on some road that I couldn’t run fast enough to catch them – and they probably wouldn’t have listened to me if I had!
Jesus was there all the time. He didn’t barge in. Maybe – probably – there were people praying for me because things certainly could have been so much worse. When I reached that bottom of the pit and cried out to God, there was Jesus. No hesitation. No multiple hoops to jump through just a cry from my heart to His – and He was there.
I live along the Gulf Coast. We have been in the news again in the past few days because over a foot of rain fell in less than 24 hours. People have been evacuated out of homes. The local Waterfront Rescue Mission has sustained severe damage to their new building. The Mission does great work among the homeless and poor of the community. Why did this happen?
I am praying for six people who are battling life-threatening illness. One of them is only 3-years-old. Why does this happen?
I know a wonderful, loving woman who really needs a job. She is a recent widow and she could lose her home if she doesn’t find something. Why does this happen?
Here it is in 2 Chronicles that if we seek the LORD with all our hearts, making our commitment to Him, then He will give us rest. He will bless us. So how do I reconcile what is going on in the lives of all those I am praying for and God’s promise of blessings in the Bible? If you thought I was going to come up with a succinct, bottom-line answer, you were thinking wrong. I wrestle with God about this. And the only thing I know is that I seek the LORD. I press in closer. I do not give up asking and seeking about these questions until He blesses me with His peace and/or His revelation. That He has done and so I will trust for what I don’t know now.
Power of Your Love by Geoff Bullock
