2 Chronicles 16:9

9 The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war.”

In 2 Chronicles 16 we find the prophet Hanani speaking a word of rebuke from the Lord to King Asa, because Asa had turned from the Lord and looked to others for his help. In life we are always confronted with the decision of who we will trust, who we will receive and rely on and who we will reject. In the turning to there is always a turning away from, and in his trials and circumstances Asa sought a human solution to his problem. Instead of relying upon the Lord to intervene in his battle Asa buys a treaty with another king to take care of his problem. It is not sin to use human means to solve our problems, but it is sin to trust them more than God, to think they are better than God’s ways, or to leave God completely out of the problem-solving process. Instead of seeking God Asa had sought the help of pagan nations to help Him. Who do you seek and turn to for help, who do you include in the problem solving aspects of your life? Asa was searching for a solution, but it wasn’t just Asa who was searching, in the midst of this word from the Lord, we find a powerful truth that not only applied then but also applies to us today. God was also searching and we need to be aware of the “Searching of the Lord”. What does it mean to search? It’s the process of looking or seeking after something in order to find or uncover. Can you remember a time in your life when you were searching, when you were looking for something? Maybe it was a set of keys, or a job, may be even a relationship, searching requires time and focus, it requires effort on our part. The Lord is daily and diligently searching, and just as we are looking for something of value to us so is He. 

So, what is it that He is actively searching for? Unlike most of our searching that is external the Lord is daily searching the hearts of people throughout the earth and His searching is an internal one. Remember what the Lord said to Samuel the prophet as Samuel considered anointing David’s brother as the next king. I Samuel 16:7 “Do not consider his appearance or his height for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the HEART”. In King David’s charge to his son Solomon in I Chronicles 28 he says “acknowledge the God of your father, and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches EVERY HEART and understands every motive behind the thoughts..”. Scripture reminds us that the Lord is constantly searching the hearts of people to see the motives, the thoughts, the attitudes and desires hidden inside.  Hebrews 4:13 reminds us that “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.”  Who we seek and who our hearts are committed to reveals several things:

• RELATIONSHIP

The first thing that is revealed in this passage is our relationship and we are confronted with the question, “How is your heart in relationships?” We have a loving Father who longs to have a good relationship with us, God longs to have a strong relationship with those whose hearts are committed and loyal to Him. In Mark 12:30-31 Jesus summed up the whole law when He said “Love God and love people” that concept of loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves is certainly not the way of the world. The way of the world is, I am number one and I am going to look out for me, everyone else can look out for themselves. As for God and His ways well if it is convenient, I will fit Him into my schedule, after all God helps those who help themselves right? Wrong God helps those who can’t help themselves but repent and cry out to Him for help. We come into right relationship with God when we believe in and trust in Jesus and His finished work on the cross. God desires for us to experience that right relationship and we must be prepared to be fully committed to him.  The same goes for our earthly relationships it requires commitment and loyalty for them to work. How do you shape up are you fully committed to a right relationship with God Father, Son and Holy Spirit and are you fully committed to a right relationship with those around you, your neighbors? Are there trust issues in your relationships that are holding you back? What is holding you back from a commitment to right relationships?