15/05/13

Seek Him and He will give you rest on all sides

2 Chronicles 15:15 - And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about.


In the world we see problems on every front - economic, terror, climate, food, relationship, financial and the list goes on and on.

In 2 Chronicles 15 Judah and Benjamin faced a similar situation. They too faced problems at all sides and then a Man of God Azariah was sent by the Lord to speak to their king. If we read verses 15:1-7 we see the reason of their suffering was not their problems but they themselves were the cause. The Lord tells them because they did not seek Him therefore they were suffering.

God did not tell them that because they were not good people or because they did not do the things He had commanded them that's why they faced problems. God told them just because they did not seek Him therefore they did not find Him, they did not find a good teacher of His Word and thus they could not keep His Law.

People have a wrong idea they think if they live a good life, keep God's Word and walk in His ways they will find God, it is only when we are good God will be good to us and we will have close relationship with Him and will be blessed.

We need to understand our flesh is week, even if our spirit is strong yet our flesh does not allow our spirit to live a righteous life. God Word tells man in no way by himself can be good. The only way for man to be good (righteous) is when God is with Him. We do not need be good to have God with us.

Bible tells us even before we knew Him, God loved us and Christ died for our sins. Bible tells us to be have God with us or to be good all we need to do is seek God. Now God is not a human that we can go to some place to find Him. Although He exists everywhere yet there is no place we can find Him. The only place or way we can find Him is via His Word and when the Word is in us.

The Word of God is not a physical map but a spiritual map and to be on the map one need to have a desire for God. Our desires are like our spiritual feet that keeps us walking on the spiritual map which is the Word of God.

God says all we need to do is seek Him with all our hearts and in all our ways and everything else He will take care of. Every problem in every direction, they may be natural, emotional or even spiritual, the Lord says He will take care of them, He says He will give us rest in all directions.

People of God, let us not think our strength, our religious rituals even our mechanical prayers or our worldly knowledge and wisdom will solve our problems. There is also nothing like luck, for God does not sleep nor is anything not in His control. The only thing that He allowed freedom to is our heart. If we set God on the throne of our heart which is our will then nothing will harm us or affect us. Problems may exist all around us but still we will be at rest, we will experience the peace of the Lord in our lives.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, we try with all our strength to overcome the problems around us and many of us are faint. We fight and may overcome one but another even bigger stands up in another direction. Lord, we also struggle to walk in your ways but fall every time, we then feel your wrath is on us because we have not been good. God as You have said we cannot be good without your help. It is only when You are seated on the throne of our hearts that we will see your peace in our live and see change in our lives. That throne which You desire to sit is our will our desire. Lord we pray we set aside all things worldly and carnal and set our desire for You alone. That You be seat on the throne of our hearts...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference ]
2 Chronicles 15:1-7
1 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:
2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
3 Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.
4 But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.
5 And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries.
6 And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity.
7 Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.
8 And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD.
9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.
10 So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.
11 And they offered unto the LORD the same time, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.
12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;
13 That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.
14 And they sware unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.
15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about.
16 And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.
17 But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.
18 And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.
19 And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.

Psalms 23:5 - Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou hast anointed my head with oil; My cup runneth over.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)