II Chronicles 16:7 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand
This past Saturday my wife and I visited a mission that was constructed in 1797 in the desert south of Tucson, Arizona. San Xavier del Bac Mission is a pearl in the desert, a beautiful white building with a bell tower and all types of artistry. We just marveled at the craftsmanship it would have taken to make such a thing in the middle of nowhere over two hundred years ago.
In contrast to that, I was privileged to preach in a Bible-preaching church not far from there that is currently celebrating its 65th anniversary. What a wonderful thing! We rejoice for a Bible-preaching church that has been around for sixty-five years. The contrast is stark. This mission on the edge of the desert has been around for over two hundred years and this church has been around for sixty-five years. Sixty-five years is a long time for one person, but it is not a long time as far as ministry. I pray that that church prospers for many years to come.
The point is that sometimes Bible believers are very good at starting things, a church, a mission, a college, a camp, and poor indeed at continuing them. We are not entrepreneurs; we are stewards of what God wishes to sustain.
In II Chronicles 14-15 we recently read about King Asa of Judah. The Bible indicates he sought God with all his heart, but “all your heart” is not enough if you are talking only about intensity. Intensity is important, but so is duration. In other words, you should seek God with all your heart for all your life. Asa sought God with all of his heart, but there came a times when he was weary and threatened by enemies. Instead of turning to God as he did when the Ethiopians had threatened him, he turned to pagan Benhadad, king of Syria.
The Bible says that God responded. Verses 7-8 say, “And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand.” God is saying, “There was a time when you were confronted by an overwhelming force and you prayed to God for help. God helped you then, but now when you are threatened, you turned to the king of Syria as if you had forgotten who God is and what He can do.”
Then verse 9 says, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.” So, here is a man who had served God with all of his heart for part of his days. There is a sense in which you cannot seek God with all your heart for half your life. You can do that, but it is not consistent to serve God with all your heart in intensity but only half your heart in duration. God doesn’t want you to be some Christian entrepreneur who starts something big and amazing that is gone when you are gone. God wishes for the witness of His truth to go out generation to generation, long after you and I are gone. So, don’t just seek God with your whole heart, seek Him with your whole life.
How do we do that? There are a couple of things Asa failed to remember that we should remember. First, remember who God is. There was a time when Asa had remembered this was the mighty God, the God of hosts, the God of armies, the God who was the help, and whose help was not dependent on the strength of the king or his army. Asa called God “our God.” He is a personal God. So, remember who God is.
Second, remember what God does. Asa served God with his whole heart, but not through his whole life, and God is a God whose eyes run to and fro through the whole earth. So, your whole heart, your whole life, and the whole earth is God’s domain. Unfortunately, when Asa heard this message from God’s prophet, he was angry. Remember what God does. If God did, then God can.
The New Testament tells a story about Jesus being in a boat with His disciples. He was teaching them a lesson about the leaven of the Pharisees, which instantly got the disciples thinking about bread. They said, “The reason He is talking about leaven is that we have forgotten about bread and He is afraid we won’t be able to eat.” How silly! Jesus had just fed a multitude of thousands on two occasions and now they doubted He could feed thirteen people in a boat. If God did, God can.
It is wonderful to serve God with all your heart, but God wants all your heart for all your life. He does not just want all your heart only in intensity, but all your heart in duration. You should not try to seek God with all your heart but for only half your life.