Spirit and Life Devotional is a daily publication by Pastor Chinaemerem Ibezim, senior pastor of Able Ministers Chapel, a church based in Calabar, Cross River State.
“Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand.” – 2 Chronicles 16:8 NKJV
King Asa of Judah was being attacked by Baasha king of Israel. The normal thing for kings then to do, was to enquire from God what to do and seek His help; that’s what Hezekiah did. But that’s not what Asa did; without consulting God or seeking His help, Asa took silver and gold out of the treasuries of the temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, seeking his assistance.
When the war was over, God sent a seer to Asa with this message: “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… You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.”
What was Asa’s offence? He did not rely on the Lord for assistance; he put his trust in a fellow man, ignoring God completely. Was God incapable of helping him? Of course not. The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
We act like Asa when we try to fix our problems instead of praying. When there’s a problem, we are quick to call on people to help us, when we can kneel down and seek God’s intervention. We remember God when other efforts have failed, and then we wonder why it seems God isn’t helping us. Psalm 108:12 says that human help is useless and worthless. We must learn to run to the throne and not the phone in times of need. God is an ever present help. Let’s put our trust in Him.
Happy Sunday.
Follow @pastorchinae (Twitter), Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim (Facebook), Chinaemerem Ibezim (Google+), PIN: 568E2E56, www.facebook.com/spiritandlifedevotional, Join our BBM Channel, PIN: C004F1183
