“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” — 2 Chronicles 16:9a (NKJV)

This promise from God is one that should give us all great comfort; if indeed we are determined to follow God as He chooses. It is incredible that the God of creation would search among His creatures for loyal hearts, and then to be a strong force on their behalf. What is also incredible is that God has to search the whole earth over to find these faithful souls. It is a powerful thought(at least for me) that God is looking for those who are looking for Him, in order to bless them with His presence.

King Asa had been such a king, one who led his nation to seek God, and they found Him; rest from war was their reward. 15:15 For more than 20 years Judah was at rest. In the 36th year of king Asa’s reign, the nation of Israel came against Judah. For some reason unknown to us, Asa hired the nation of Syria as an ally to defeat Israel; instead of calling out to God as he had previously done. This resulted in the loss of the rest from war because they had not sought God, but had relied on Syria instead. 16:9b. “The eyes of the Lord” had turned away from king Asa and Judah because their loyalty was no longer to Him.

How quickly we can lose the protection of God’s presence, when we become disloyal to Him; when we think that He is no longer able to deliver us from our trials. We must not be too quick to condemn King Asa, although he obviously made a very poor decision. Aren’t we often just as foolish in our choices of allies, and to whom we will be loyal? Is God always our first thought in times of trouble, or even in times of rest? King Asa had called on God before when he was at war. Why not now while his nation was enjoying God’s rest?

One thing is certain though — God is with us when we are with Him, and He will forsake us if we forsake Him (15:2).

Are we careful to seek God first in all situations? Do we seek Him expecting to find Him?

It’s simple — He’s already looking for us.

Rev. Bobby Thornhill is a retired Methodist preacher.