Sometimes Forsaking, Never Forsaken
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 in a commendable way 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 fathers’ (II Chron. 14:2-4). He began his reign with moral courage and true 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 God alone was worshipped and served. For many years the land prospered and was at peace.
One could wish the chapter ended here for at the end of his reign, his faith weakened. 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 God's 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 us 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 practicing 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 at all times and in all places I am with You, 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 m 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 to be heard until someone calls. I must determine first that I will be with You, then, like the echo, comes the assurance that You are always there. Eternal presence, ever-living God, I do not pray that You will be with me for You have promised to be near. Rather I would 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 for its glowing warmth. Prayer is counting on God's love. It is seeing 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.
