This chapter describes the final years of Asa king of Judah, as he departs from the Lord and makes a series of poor choices.
“At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, ‘Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the Lord your God… You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.’ Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the stocks in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time.” (v7,9b-10 abr)
Asa begins make poor choices, relying on people (foreigners and physicians) to help him with his challenges, rather than relying on the Lord. Because he broke his covenant with God, God allowed wars to befall Judah (He had promised peace as long as Judah was obedient).
I don’t know what your walk with God looks like, but mine can look a bit like Asa’s. He starts out well for a few years, then turns away from God, then repents and comes back stronger than the first time, then drifts away again. My relationship with God has waxed and waned as well – there have been seasons of great fruitfulness, and seasons of great drought.
Like with any healthy habit, consistency is key. What really helped my walk with God was finding an accountability partner and making a simple commitment: we would each read a passage of scripture daily, and text each other a thought on what we had read. It started out simple, just two people, with two text messages.
God uses faithful obedience in amazing ways. To this day our two networks have grown, and we each reach out to many more people than we had originally envisioned. It is God’s grace, and our willingness to build a consistent relationship with Him, that has proven fruitful over these last 2+ years.
My encouragement is to remain faithful and consistent in our walk with God. Even if we can only muster one prayer per day, or read one verse per week, our heart needs to be consistently reminded of Him. If we stop relying on God, as Asa did, it’s easy to drift further and further away. An anchored boat will sway and move, yet it doesn’t drift far from where the anchor lies – let’s keep ourselves anchored in Christ and God, and we will experience the peace and joy of the Spirit.
Father God, our Sovereign and Glorious King, holy, holy, holy is Your name. You have blessed us abundantly with Your mercy and grace, and we praise You for Your mighty works. Father thank you for drawing near to us, and sending Your Spirit to dwell closer than a brother. Please hold us close, and teach us to abide in You, so we will never lose sight of Your light. May we learn to remain consistent in our love for You and our obedience to Your will, forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training