2 Chronicles 15:1-8

Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.

Bible Reading

The Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded. He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought Him, and He was found by them. In those days, it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” When Asa heard these words of the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded, he took courage. He removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the portico of the Lord’s temple.

– 2 Chronicles 15:1-8

Devotion

In year 15 of his reign, Azariah was sent to Asa with an important message. The message had the tone of a warning. The essence of God’s Word to Asa was there would be great reward if they continued in the path of seeking the Lord with complete dependence. Likewise there would be great loss if they stopped depending on God. Why this message to a faithful, godly King? God saw something in Asa’s heart that could potentially compromise his faith and devotion. Thus, God sent Azariah to tell Asa: Be strong and do not lose courage.

The Big Question

In Azariah’s message we hear the reciprocal principle of Scripture: God will draw near to us if we draw near to Him. A.W. Tozer put it this way: “God waits to be wanted.” God waits to see if our hearts will turn toward Him. He makes himself known to us and comes to strongly support us. On the other hand, when our hearts forsake Him, it is almost as if He hides His face from us. Are you seeking Him in this current season of life?

Spend some time in prayer meditating on what God has revealed to you through His Word today?