Keeping Your Faith in Difficult TimesSample

GOD IS SEEKING A PERFECT HEART 

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore, from henceforth thou shalt have wars.” (2 Chron.16:9 KJV)

There are times in our life when we face difficulties and adversity. It is in the seasons when we are challenged the most, and our faith is being pushed to the limit, that God wants us to totally trust and rely on Him. He wants us to depend on Him with our whole heart.

In 2 Chronicles 15, King Asa of Judah is  admonished by the prophet Azariah to follow God with his whole heart. King Asa and the inhabitants of Judah proclaimed their loyalty to God and, as a result, lived in peace with no war for many years (2 Chronicles 15:12-15). 

When the nation of Ethiopia came against Judah, God gave Judah a great victory (2 Chronicles 14:9-15). However, when the King of Israel rose up to make war against Judah, King Asa sought assistance from Ben-Hadad, king of Aram (Syria) instead of seeking God. This displeased God and the prophet Hanani visited Asa and rebuked him with a word from the Lord. He prophesied, “Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore, from henceforth thou shalt have wars.” Consequently, Judah was at war for the remaining reign of King Asa.

There are times when we trust God as Asa did when the Ethiopians rose against Judah. However, we may face moments which require a greater level of trust in God,  as when Asa was confronted by the King of Israel, and out of fear, he failed to trust God to protect the Kingdom of Judah. These are the moments in which God is expecting us to stand in the face of adversity with a whole heart. He wants us to give Him the opportunity to show Himself strong on our behalf. We must learn to depend completely on Him, no matter what the circumstances may be, knowing that He has given us total victory through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.