SEEKING AND FINDING

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded. He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought Him, and He was found by them. In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage. He removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the portico of the Lord’s temple.

Then he assembled all Judah and Benjamin and the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who had settled among them, for large numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

They assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. At that time they sacrificed to the Lord seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats from the plunder they had brought back. They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul. All who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, were to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman. They took an oath to the Lord with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns. All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly, and He was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.

King Asa also deposed his grandmother Maakah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah. Asa cut it down, broke it up and burned it in the Kidron Valley. Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life. He brought into the temple of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.

There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

2 Chronicles 15

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

One thing is certain in life. There is going to come a time when we are going to be seeking.

Maybe we find ourselves seeking for help in the midst of some difficult life circumstance.

Maybe we find ourselves seeking to understand something that has happened to us in the past or present.

Perhaps we find ourselves seeking guidance and wisdom in order to make the right decision when presented with many options.

Or maybe we find ourselves seeking strength when we don’t think we can go on anymore.

Yes, at one time or another we will be in a state of seeking. That is certain.

What may not be as certain is who we seek and whether we will be able to find what we need when we do find them.

Wouldn’t it be great if we had someone we could always seek and know that when we did, we would always find them?

The good news is that we do have someone although they can’t be found here on earth. For only God can grant us everything we need whenever we need it in accordance with His will.

Indeed, those who place their hope and trust in God do so because He is forever with them, always able to be found and ever ready to lead, guide, counsel, and provide to ensure His desires are met in their  lives. 

As we turn our eyes toward the scripture passage for today, we find Asa, king of Judah, and his Israelite followers reminded of God’s everlasting presence and availability. Look again at the words of the prophet Azariah as he shares a message from God with Asa:

“Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought Him, and He was found by them. In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

The points are so simple and yet we so often forget them.

Point 1: When we are with the Lord, He is with us.

Point 2: When we seek the Lord, we will find Him.

Jesus, God’s son and our Savior, said it this way, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8

Too easy, right?

So what happens when we hold onto these fundamental truths?

We, like Asa, find courage, determination, and inner strength to face whatever challenges life might bring upon us.

In the case of Asa, he continued to destroy anything that would bring dishonor to God and even deposed his own grandmother Maakah from her position as queen mother because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of the false god Asherah. He then led all his people in worship and praise unto the Lord who was found when they sought Him and, in return, the Lord granted them rest and peace from war until Asa’s 35th year of reign.

I don’t know about you but inner strength, rest, and peace are three things I can’t get enough of and through continuously seeking the Lord, I know I have and always will find them as He provides more than I could ever ask for.

My prayer is that you will experience the same as you seek Him in your own life.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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