23 April | EVERYONE
"But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!” 2 Chronicles 15:7
The face of the people had been toasted by a sun that was tired and withdrew like a strange fire that crackles. Above it, there was a flickering blue mist that opens, showing the round shape of the full moon.
That night was a moon full of light, round and illuminating the message of the prophet Azariah. Opposite him stood Asa, the king of Judah. The two decades since the division of Israel had filled Judah and Benjamin with apostasy, but “Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did his father David. And he banished the perverted persons from the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. Also he removed Maachah his grandmother from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. And Asa cut down her obscene image and burned it by the Brook Kidron” (1 Kings 15:11-13).
Great works of reform were done by King Asa even though he had assumed the kingdom when the people were suffering at the hands of their enemies. They were a people without hope, even though they had a God of hope. They fought, they tried, but they did not prosper. It seemed as if their efforts were dissolved in their own tears. Then Azariah went to the king and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you” (2 Chronicles 15:2). Victory would not be the fruit of human efforts; it would come only from God. And yet, as we read in today's text, the message ended by encouraging the people to make an effort.
The message is clear. Do not dare to go into the battle of life if you are not sure that God is in charge, but never think that, because God is with you, you must limit yourself to passively waiting for victory to fall from heaven.
Take Action
Face life's challenges with the assurance that God is with you! Sing "Be Strong!" (if possible, with your family).