Is God 'your God'?

 2 Chronicles 14

• Summary

In this chapter we have an account of the reign of Abijah's son, Asa.  Asa served God, removing idols and groves from the land and commanding the people to follow after the LORD's laws and commands.  As a consequence God blessed him with rest in the land for 10 years during which time they were busy fortifying their cities and building up the army.  

After this they were attacked by an enormous army of Ethiopians.  Asa prayed to God for help and God answered them by smiting the Ethiopians, so that they fled.  God and his host destroyed the Ethiopians, and Asa and his army were able to attack surrounding cities gaining much spoil.

• Thoughts

My attention was particularly drawn to verse 11:

'And Asa cried unto the LORD his God...'. 

Asa clearly had a personal relationship with God.  In contrast to Rehoboam and Abijah, who only appeared to serve the LORD outwardly, Asa appeared to serve the LORD in his heart.  He had instructed Judah to worship God, and taken away worship to idols.  It says that he did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord, whereas in the case of Rehoboam and Abijah, we are told that serving God wasn't their main purpose, or they did evil in God's sight.   

This is further seen in the words of Asa's prayer.  He expressed a sense of personal trust and experience of the LORD's power and love towards him, laying claim on their belonging to God, 

 '...LORD it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power; help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude.  O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee'.

This 'resting' on the LORD is an evidence of trust and love in God, as one's own God.  God has a care towards all people on earth whether they love him or not, as Jesus tells us in Matthew 5 - God sends sunshine and rain on both the evil and the good, the just and the unjust.  People may pray to God when in trouble, and he may help them, but then they forget all about him.  But those that 'rest' in the Lord have learnt that he is a refuge, and a rock to whom they can cling - not only in times of trouble but for all their daily needs. Jesus, the Son of God, says in Matthew 11:28:

'Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest'. 

Those that are drawn to God, and learn to rest in him are his children  They can pray to him as their Father, trusting that although sinners they are accepted by this holy and pure God through the life and death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I remember the first time I heard this verse being sung as a hymn*,

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
'Come unto me and rest;
Lay down, O weary one, Lay down
Thy head upon my breast'
I came to Jesus as I was
Weary, and worn and sad,
I found in him a resting place
And he has made me glad.

Although at that time I couldn't claim the second half of the verse I was longing to come to Jesus.  Do you know this deep heart felt longing, dear reader?  May I encourage you with how the Lord revealed his dear, precious self to me some months later:

At a time when my heart was breaking and life felt unbearable, I heard Jesus whisper into my heart words from the Proverbs, 'Give me thy heart'.  I didn't hear an audible voice - I can only describe it as feeling the words 'breathed' into me.  With instant relief I cried to the Lord that I gave him my heart. I felt all my heartache literally melt away and was filled with the most amazing peace and love towards the Lord.  

During the days that followed I felt like a little child in the arms of its parent.  I had complete rest.  I had no fear or anxiety about anything.  I felt complete trust in the Lord's care of me, for every event.  My shyness and fear of what other's would think of me completely disappeared.  My restfulness was commented on by those close to me.  

This rest in the Lord's care for his people is not felt all the time - sadly, we are not constant in our affections to him like he is to us.  Over time we get wrapped up in our daily life, we get busy, we forget him, and we start to doubt him.  But at times when we pray to him more earnestly, with more need, when our circumstances confuse and trouble us, or we know we have sinned - when we stop looking to ourselves but completely look to him - and at times or in a way which we least expect, we suddenly feel the touch of his love, softening and warming our heart, the sense of his presence close by - and it is always such indescribable tender love, which melts the heart and makes the tears flow.  

What joy and what a privilege it is to be able to say, 

'This God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death' (Psalm 48:14).

*The City of Light CD sung by the Mattaniah Christian Male Choir

 Photo from Ben White on Unsplash with thanks.