Faithful and steadfast
At that time, the seer Hanani came to King Asa of Judah and said to him, “Because you depended on the king of Aram and have not depended on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from you. Were not the Cushites and Libyans a vast army with many chariots and horsemen? When you depended on the Lord, he handed them over to you. For the eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth to show himself strong for those who are wholeheartedly devoted to him. You have been foolish in this matter. Therefore, you will have wars from now on.” Asa was enraged with the seer and put him in prison because of his anger over this. And Asa mistreated some of the people at that time. 2 Chronicles 16:7-10 Life is always full of challenges. God’s desire is that we remain steadfast and faithful to Him as we face life’s trials. He provides assurance to be with those whose faith is placed on Him. “The person who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed” (Jeremiah 17:7). From the text, Hanani was sent by God to King Asa to tell him that he should not waver in his faith. God gave him victory in the past when he called out on Him and asked him for help. “Then Asa cried out to the Lord his God: “Lord, there is no one besides you to help the mighty and those without strength. Help us, Lord our God, for we depend on you, and in your name we have come against this large army. Lord, you are our God. Do not let a mere mortal hinder you.” So the Lord routed the Cushites before Asa and before Judah, and the Cushites fled”” (2 Chronicles 14:11-12). But now, King Asa started to form an alliance with godless people. When Hanani came to remind him that he needed to return to God and trust Him alone, he had Hanani imprisoned. Then King Asa experienced defeat after defeat even in small wars that he could have won only if he trusted God. As we face our own challenges in life, we don’t have to doubt if God is with us. If you are truly a child of God, He promised He will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). We can easily be overwhelmed with difficulties but we need not falter and should remain strong in our resolve to remain dependent upon God. We have already proven that God is faithful, so don’t give in to despair. Don’t give in to the temptation to trust others rather than trusting God. Don’t just give up on what you believe about God and keep your heart loyal to Him. All God wants from us is to remain committed to Him and He will demonstrate His strength working in us and through us. “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” (Romans 8:31) God is always there to provide us the victory in our present circumstances as He was with us in the past. So when you focus on Him with all your heart, you will discover that His eyes are on you. “Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you” (Psalm 37:9).
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com
