Sometimes I ask myself why is it so easy for individuals who at the end of their struggles forget God who saw them through every trial. It is as if we as human beings are so prone to forgetfulness in an attempt to present an image that we are ever moving forward and not relive the past. We see it time and time again with individuals who struggled during their childhood and youth and when they achieve ‘supposed success’ they look down on those who remind them of their own experiences. There are others who had one suit of clothing that was cherished to the extent that parting with it brought emotional trauma since a replacement was almost impossible and when they have accumulated more than they could ever hope to wear they find it difficult to part with one piece of clothing that would be a cherished gift to one who has nothing. Selfishness and greed has become a characteristic of our generation and it seems as though those of us who should know better find ourselves behaving similar and in some cases worse than those who have no connection with Christ. I reflected on Asa in 2 Chronicles 16:2-13. This is what it says: “2Asa then took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the LORD’s temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus. 3“Let there be a treaty between me and you,” he said, “as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.” 4Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim and all the store cities of Naphtali. 5When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and abandoned his work. 6Then King Asa brought all the men of Judah, and they carried away from Ramah the stones and timber Baasha had been using. With them he built up Geba and Mizpah. 7At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. 8Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the LORD, he delivered them into your hand. 9For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.” 10Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison. At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people. 11The events of Asa’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 12In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians. 13Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his ancestors”. Here was Asa who started off so well when he destroyed all images and opportunities for individuals to focus on things rather than God. He experienced god’s grace and power in being victorious over the surrounding nations. After all that he had experienced, God’s deliverance and protection somehow Asa forgot that all his achievements were as a result of God’s goodness and favour in his life. As a consequence, Asa then turned to a former enemy to establish an ally. Notice carefully that in order that the alliance could be established, he took some of the articles that were dedicated to the service of God to conduct a transaction with his new ally. God had to remind him that even when his army was inconsequential as a result of his limited numbers he was assured of victory over his enemies because of His grace. It does not matter how big or small the enemy is, as long as God is for us then He has promised in Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me," declares the LORD”. My dear friends; God cannot lie for He always keeps His Word. He wants us to never forget that in spite of where we go and what we achieve it is all about His grace in our lives. He blesses us, not so much that we would laud it over others but that we would use His blessings to bless others. Lest we forget, He is taking note of every detail of our actions as well as every unexpressed thought. His eyes run to and fro in the earth and He has promised that it is to strengthen the hearts of those who truly trust in Him. I urge you my friends; whether the times are smooth or rough do not forget God. Whether there would be a song to sing or a scream of pain I encourage you to never forget God. He knows exactly what He is doing so may we trust Him implicitly to see us through.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 11:16:25 +0000
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