2 Chronicles 16:9

“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. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.”

There are some truths that are so powerful it seems almost frightening to open them up. That is certainly true of this particular verse. The truth tucked away here is so powerful it has the ability to transform the life of every individual who will apply it, and to bring about real and lasting changes in the world in which we live. It is a truth that might even need a warning label. “If you apply this verse to your life, God will do great things in and through you.”

First, notice the promises; He declares that if we are loyal to Him that He…

2 Chronicles 15:2

“And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: ‘Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.’”

Sometimes we come across passages of Scripture that are difficult to interpret. The imagery is something we do not quite understand, or we feel as though not enough information is given to really explain what the text means. THIS IS NOT one of those times. This passage could not be more clear. There is no doubt left in the mind of the reader as to what we are being told. Two contrasting truths are presented.

First, if you seek God you will find Him. When my children were little we would often play hide and seek. For them, the…

Psalm 141:1 “Lord, I cry out to You; make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You.”

Psalm 141:2 “Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”

Psalm 141:8 “But my eyes are upon You, O God the Lord; in You I take refuge; do not leave my soul destitute.”

Without giving the details of the particular trial he is facing, David writes a recipe for success when overcome with opposition. The recipe includes three key ingredients.

First, he speaks of crying out to the Lord. Obviously, David is referring to prayer, but by using the term ‘cry’, he is drawing a picture of those times when we are driven to intense prayer. It is the cry of desperation, birthed from a realization that our hope rests in God alone.

Second, he…

2 Chronicles 14:11

“And Asa cried out to the Lord his God, and said, ‘ Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!’”

King Asa, and the nation of Judah, were facing an obstacle much too great for them to overcome. An army from North Africa numbering over a million soldiers, had gathered to fight against them. Knowing their own resources were inadequate for the challenge, Asa cried out to the Lord for assistance. From his prayer we learn four important principles.

First, when facing challenges, the right thing to do is to go to the Lord. Instead of thinking we can handle it on our own…

Psalm 139:23-24

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.”

In this portion of the Psalm, David prays three things: search me, try me and lead me. These are very interesting requests in light of what he has previously declared concerning God. “ Lord, You have searched me and known me.” Psalm 139:1

In beautiful, poetic fashion, David declared there is nothing hidden from the all-seeing eye of God. He knows when we rise up and when we lie down. He knows our thoughts before we think them, and every word that leaves our lips. He knows the paths we choose to walk and where those roads will lead us. Our loving God thinks about us constantly, and no matter where we go, we cannot escape His…

2 Chronicles 11:4

“Thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not go up or fight against your brethren! Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me.’  Therefore they obeyed the words of the Lord, and turned back from attacking Jeroboam.”

“Thus says The Lord” is a very common phrase in scripture. All in all, it is used over four hundred times. We find God speaking to priests,  prophets, kings and commoners. It becomes very clear that the problem is rarely with God being silent, and is more often with man refusing to listen and obey.

I am particularly encouraged by the use of “Thus says the lord” in this passage, because of who it was that God spoke to, and how he responded. The portrait the bible paints of Rehoboam makes it clear he was anything but a godly man. His self-will created division within the…

Psalm 138:1

“I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You.”

David paints a picture that is familiar to all of us. He is surrounded by those who are not following Jehovah, and are feverishly pursuing other things. The false gods of the heathen nations represented the pursuits of the flesh. They had gods of sexual passion, pride, possessions, power, intellect and more. David found himself surrounded by those who rejected God, pursued the flesh, and looked down upon him as he looked up to the Lord.

Sadly, it was not just the surrounding nations who thought David a fool for committing himself to Jehovah. Idolatry was rampant within the nation of Israel. Many of the people had developed their theology based upon experience and personal desire, instead of on the revelation of God.

David goes on in this psalm to declare

2 Chronicles 10:4
“Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.”

Solomon’s expansive building projects did not come cheaply, and had a devastating effect upon the nation of Israel. The people sat under a heavy yoke of taxation. After Solomon’s death, the people had enough. They sought relief from the tax burden the government had imposed on the nation. Young King Rehoboam, in his arrogance, believed the government knew better than the people, and rather than relief, he promised an increase in the tax burden, and workload of the people. His words drove the citizens to rebel against his leadership, and resulted in ten of the twelve “states” separating from the union. The northern tribes formed a new nation, and this became their independence day. Having experienced a heavy…

2 Chronicles 9:6

“However I did not believe their words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You exceed the fame of which I heard.”

A person, standing at a distance and looking in at Solomon’s kingdom, would be struck by the enormous wealth and prosperity. We read of merchants traveling the world and returning with treasures of gold and precious stones, as well as exotic spices and animals. We are told, the landscape was marked with elaborate building projects, fine arts, and gourmet foods. Beyond question, the nation looked to be at its apex, and was envied by the world around them. In fact, we are told that delegations, including kings and queens, would make their way to Israel just to see its highly developed society and vast wealth. All the world wanted…

Psalm 136:1

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”

It has been suggested by many, this psalm was sung by the worship leaders of Israel, with the congregation serving as the choir. The Levites would sing a verse and the people would respond, “For His mercy endures forever.” Imagine thousands of travelers finally arriving in Jerusalem, for one of the great feasts, and the skilled musicians begin to play this psalm. The vocalists join in singing, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good”, and suddenly an explosion of voices, like the sound of rushing waters, burst forth, “For His mercy endures forever.”

Verse after verse the band leads, and the choir responds, ever being reminded of the mercy of God. I imagine throughout the week you would hear the people whistling, humming and singing this song. The main point…