Daily Devotions
Trusting in God, Not His Blessings
Title: Trusting in God, Not His Blessings
Reading for May 11: 2 Chronicles 12-16
At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, "Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you."
2 Chronicles 16:7
One of the problems with living in a prosperous nation like ours is that we are conditioned to trust in God's blessings rather than in God himself.
That's what appears to have happened to good king Asa. Early in his life he demonstrated extraordinary faith. He was faced with a million man army from Ethiopia and because of his faith in God, the Lord gave him a great victory over that enemy (2 Chron 14).
Listen to what Asa prayed to God: "O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you." (2 Chron 14:11)
Near the end of Asa's reign, after he had prospered for many years, his faith was not as strong. In this chapter he was faced with a lesser foe, and instead of going to God for help, he took silver and gold from the temple and sent it to one of the pagan nations around them hoping to secure their help.
What can we learn from Asa's sin? We should be aware of the tendency to get lulled to sleep by success. Once life becomes easy and comfortable, we can easily learn to put our trust in all the physical blessings we possess (and forget where these blessings come from).
Father, help us to not trust in your blessings but in you!
