On the Right Side

(Re-posted from Comfort-Cafe.net, May 2018)

The Lord is with you when you are with him . . . (II Chronicles 15:2)

This short obscure phrase, spoken by a prophet to encourage Asa, King of Judah, says something deeply profound. It asks the question, “Who are you siding with?”

So often we want the Lord to be with us when our hearts are first and foremost “with others.” Or what we really want is that He be “with our personal agenda.” But the Lord says that He must be first. Only when we prioritize him will the world begin to right itself.

James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” What does it look like to draw near, to “be with him?” In the context of Asa, King of Judah, this meant devoted, wholehearted obedience. Asa removed idols from the whole land, repaired the temple’s altar, and led his people to “seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul” (II Chronicles 15:12).

We, too, if we expect the Lord to be with us, must renounce idols in our life, prioritize worship and spiritual disciplines, and seek the Lord with all our heart and soul. Obedience is not a fashionable word these days, but because of who God is, his demands remain not only reasonable, but timeless.

Asa’s prophet assured him that “if you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you” (II Chronicles 15:2). In essence he says, our actions show where we place our faith and reveal whether we are with the Lord or not.

Prayer: Lord, I want to be with you so that you will be with me. I commit to tearing down the idols in my life and obeying you with all my heart. In Jesus name, Amen.