I Will Never Leave You
The Lord is with you, while you are with him. (II Chron. 15:2)
II Chr. 15:1-7; Ex. 33:14; Deut. 31:6; Josh. 1:5-6; Ezra 8:22; Mt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5
What Is God Saying?
Asa, the third King of Judah, started his reign commendably. He did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord. He took away the foreign altars and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors (II Chron. 14:2-4). He began his reign with moral courage and steadfast faithfulness to the God of his fathers. Azariah gave good counsel, and he took it. Azariah said, “Hear me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin, the Lord is with you, while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you” (II Chron. 15:2). “Take courage, do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded” (15:7). Asa did not react in anger; he took steps to see that his people worshipped and served God alone. For many years, the land prospered and was at peace.
One could wish the chapter ended here, for his faith weakened at the end of his reign. He turned to foreign aid, asking for help from Syria to overcome King Baasha of Israel. The plan worked, but it wasn't God's way or will. He stubbornly refused correction. The well-being of Judah crumbled. He gave out in the stretch. His hand grew weak. He took his eyes off God's sovereign purpose. He was a living and dying example of what happens when anyone forsakes God.
How Does This Apply To Us?
Azariah's words to Asa are not just those of a prophet who dares to speak to a king; they are also the words of a friend who wants Asa to find the path of blessing and joy. Stay with God who stays with you. We can forsake him; he never forsakes us. Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5). Yet there are times when I lose the sense of his presence, when I have not valued his presence above everything else, or when I have grown lax in practising his presence and his actual nearness has become apparent distance. It is when we forsake that we feel forsaken.
Pray With Me
Lord, to leave you is to wander without direction and purpose. To return to you is to recover life's meaning and joy. Make me constantly aware that I am with you at all times and places, and you are with me. With the psalmist, I say, “If I make my bed in hell or take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, you are there. Whither shall I flee from your presence?” (Ps. 139:7). I want to make each passing hour one in which I deliberately reaffirm my faith in your presence. Knowing you are always with me, may my chief purpose in living be to be with you.
The steep, narrow walls of the canyon quietly wait, but there is no echo until someone calls. I must determine first that I will be with you; then, like the echo, the assurance that you are always there comes. Eternal presence, ever-living God, I do not pray that you will be with me, for you have promised to be near. Instead, I make it the deepest concern of my heart that I shall be with you.
In the name of Him Who said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” even Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
We need not ask the Lord to be with us, for he is. Prayer is enjoying the presence of God as flowers turn toward the sun. In prayer, we count on God’s love and understand that he has top priority. Then, trusting him all the way, we find out where and how we who have been blessed can be a blessing. In prayer, we determine to be with him and discover, to our joy and peace, that he is with us always.
