I Will Be Found of You (June 2021)

Asa was king over Judah. We read about him in 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles. King Asa did what was right in the eyes of God. He took away the altars of the strange gods and the high places; broke down the images and cut down the groves; and commanded Judah to see the Lord their God and to keep the law and the commandment. He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars.

King Asa had a large army, armed with large shields and spears. These men were mighty men of valor. Asa knew that they had “sought the Lord their God” (2 Chron. 14:7), so he knew that they could build cities, be protected, and have “peace on every side”.

Asa had 580,000 men, but King Zerah, the Ethiopian, came out against them with a million men and 300 chariots. Sometimes the enemies will come against us even when we do what is right before the Lord. What did Asa do when he saw his enemies? The Bible tells us that he prayed to God for help; and the Lord heard him and helped him. The Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah. Not one of Asa’s enemies remained alive. The Spirit of God came upon Azariah, and he went out to meet Asa and said, “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. …Be ye strong therefore and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded” (2 Chron.15:2-7). King Asa took courage and sacrificed 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep to the Lord on that day from their spoil. They entered a covenant to seek the Lord with all their heart and with all their soul.

King Baasha of Israel went up against King Asa when he was in his 36th year of his reign. Again, what was King Asa to do? The Bible tells us that he took gold and silver from the treasures of the house of the Lord and sent them to Benhadad, King of Syria. He asked him to turn against Baasha, king of Israel so that they would desist in their attacks against him and the people of Judah. The king of Syria did as King Asa requested. Once again, it appeared that King Asa and Judah had prevailed, but this time through a man. There was a problem though. The seer, Hanani came to King Asa and said to him, “Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.” The prophet reminded him that before when his enemies came to destroy him and Judah, he sought the Lord, and the Lord delivered him. This time, however, King Asa sought a man. Hanani prophesied to him that from then on, he would have wars. Asa was angry and put the seer in prison. What had happened to Asa? Did he now trust in his own power or the power of another man, rather than the power of the Almighty God?

King Asa in his thirty-ninth year of reigning was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Even in his sickness, King Asa did not seek the Lord but sought help from physicians. Two years later, Asa died.

Proverbs 3:5&6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.” What do we do when trouble comes our way; when the enemies wage war against us on every side; when disease comes upon us? We seek the Lord. He promised that He would be found of us. (2 Chron. 15:2). Well, is there anything wrong with our going to a doctor? I believe that the Lord gave doctors to us. I am grateful for them, but do we seek them first for our healing? Man may aid in healing but only God heals. Jesus said, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Mt. 6:33). Our seeking should be first to our Lord; not man, nor doctors, nor medicines; nor what we can buy or figure out. If we have sought anything before the Lord, let us confess that as sin to Jesus. He is faithful and just to forgive us (1 Jn. 1:9). Sometimes when trouble comes, we just want to fix it. We want to fix it right now. I want to encourage you to seek the Lord concerning whatever is coming against you or your family. The Lord says, “I love you. I will be found of you. I will help you. I will deliver you. …But you must place your trust in Me and seek Me with all of your heart.” …And we say, “Amen!”