Today I read 2 Chronicles 15. I mean, I studied this chapter but I also listened to the Book of Romans.

My friends, I can’t tell you how much I love the Book of Romans. It was the first book that the Holy Spirit opened my spiritual eyes to understand for the first time while I was in my bedroom in New Delhi, India, in the middle of the night. (Please don’t ask, “When?” It was 100 years ago.)

Since then, I began to read and understand the Bible. Before that, I used to read the Bible almost every day and sometimes two or three times a day but I had no clue what it was saying. So, I usually read Psalms and used to cry reading those sad psalms. Why? As the Bible says, I was spiritually blind because I didn’t know Christ then:

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:4

Praise God! I was blind but now I see. Glory to God!

Anyways, whenever I read/study or listen to the Book of Romans, I always wonder how some people read the Book of Romans but still argue about the doctrine of election, whether it is biblical or not. I mean, unless we take Romans out of the Bible, we cannot argue against election. But the problem is, the whole Bible is based on election. So, it doesn’t really matter whether we take Romans out or not.

Phew! Can you believe that? I am not here to talk about the Book of Romans or the doctrine of election but 2 Chronicles 15.

So, I had a wonderful study time of chapter 15 today. Please read and study this chapter when you find time. It is a fascinating chapter (so is the whole book – Chronicles).

When you read the previous chapter, chapter 14, you read King Asa, King of Judah, from King David’s line, got victory over a vast army of Ethiopians who came against him. God fought for Asa and his people and gave them victory.

My favorite verse from 2 Chronicles chapter 14 is verse 11a:

“Lord, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O Lord our God,” NASB

Hallelujah! – (By the way, in the original or the old version of the Amharic Bible, this particular verse is talking about something else but in the New version of the Amharic Bible, this verse is translated into Amharic correctly. Praise God!)

Well, King Asa and the people Judah and Benjamin enjoyed their victory.

What is next to victory?

What is the trap that catches many of the people of God right after a big victory and success?

It is called PRIDE!

What kind of pride? “I did it; from this point on, I am the mighty one and I need nobody’s help!” kind of pride (Acts 12:21-23).

So, God wanted to spare (or, warn) Asa from this very trap and He sent one of His prophets, Azariah to Asa. (The title of chapter 15 in NASB is “The Prophet Azariah Warns Asa”)

The message of God to Asa through Azariah was in short this: Asa, you won the war because of Me, God. If you continue seeking Me, I will continue letting you find Me.  However, if you give Me your back and forsake Me, I will forsake you and your enemies will get the upper hand and win over you.

Listen to verse 2:

“Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.” NASB

Phew!

This is a warning to Asa, and to all of us, isn’t it?

Well, what is really the warning?

Simple! It is like God’s saying to us: If you think you are enough to handle your issues,  I won’t interfere in your lives. If you think you have enough expertise that you don’t need to seek Me in prayer and fasting, I won’t bother to come and involve Myself in your business.

I don’t know about you but for me, this literally freezes my bones because  I know that I can’t live without God being in my life, “in Him, I live, and move, and have my being,” Acts 17:28 – I want God to be the only sole driver of my life. I want Him to handle my business, not me, nor anybody else.

So, listen carefully because this is a very important principle of God we all should bear in mind all the time:

When we seek God, seek Him with all our hearts, we find Him; when we knock, the door will be opened; when we ask, it will be given to us (Deuteronomy 4:29, Jeremiah 29:13, Matthew 7:7). These are the promises of God and no one can change them!

And guess what, the reverse is also true: When we don’t seek God, or we seek Him as if we seek one tiny piece of ornament for our already fully decorated home, we don’t find Him. We won’t see any trace of God’s finger in our lives. That is called “God forsakes us,” not that God stops being loving and faithful as His word says, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you,” Hebrews 13:5; but we change.

Enduringword.com commentaries for 2 Chronicles 15:1-2 puts this concept in good wordings:

“The principle is of perpetual application. It represents God as unchanging. All apparent changes on His part are really changes in the attitude of men toward Him. Man with God, finds God with him. Man forsaking God, finds that he is forsaken of God.”

Wow! Man forsaking God, finds that he is forsaken of God.

So, here is the message for today:

“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.”  2 Chronicles 15:2b ///