2 Chronicles 15:1,2
‘Now the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded, and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the LORD is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you abandon Him, He will abandon you.”‘
This is how it works. If we seek Him, He will let us find Him. What a privilege. God is the best, greatest, smartest, most interesting and so on. In our culture we have the rock stars. The best athletes, the best musicians, the computer designers, the authors and so on. We pay to see them, to listen to them,… They tend to friend each other. Taylor Swift is dating Travis Kelce; they are both famous. We couldn’t have an audience with them.
God is far more than these. He created them with their talents. Few of them honor Him. This reminds me of Lucifer. He was the greatest of the created beings. He was beautiful and a talented musician, yet he rebelled against God and was cast down (Isaiah 14). Some say a third of the angels were with him in his rebellion and were cast down (Revelation 12:4).
Even though God is the greatest He seeks to associate with the lowly. When Jesus was sent into the world, He was born to poor parents who were traveling. The only lodging was a barn. Those who were there to greet Him were lowly shepherds. He could have made it grand with the world’s greatest in attendance.
God’s values are seen in the beatitudes: poor in spirit, those who mourn, the gentle, hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers and those who were persecuted for righteousness sake. This is in contrast to the world’s values: the beautiful, the smart, the funny, the hip, the talented and so on.
God chose to be with the lesser. Even though He is the greatest, He isn’t tolerating us. He loves us and welcomes us. What a privilege. Other verses say He seeks us. Isaiah 65:2 says, “All day long I have held out My hands to an obstinate people who walk in the wrong path, who follow their own imaginations.” He is the best, He takes the high road. Romans 5:10 goes even further, “For if, when we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!” We were His enemies. We transgressed, we wanted nothing to do with Him. We wanted freedom and independence. He was actively seeking our redemption during this time.
Many of the maladies that people struggle with would be cured if they were united with God. He created us to be with Him. Without Him we are incomplete. John 4:25,26 says, ‘The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I am He, the One speaking to you.”‘ He declares all things, He holds all things together, He fills us.
If we want Him, He will let us find Him. This simplifies a complicated question. What will God do with those that never heard of Him? God is all powerful and just. He wouldn’t judge one for something he never heard (Romans 2:14,15). The lone voice in a civilization unknown will be heard by Him. He makes a way.
Then comes the “but” in todays verse. “If we abandon Him, He will abandon us.” Fortunately He won’t do so without a fight. The Father would always accept the prodigal. Luke 19:10 says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” He will seek us out. All of us have this story. He calls us. Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door I will come in and sup with him and he with Me.” He’s knocking. Who knows how long He has done so. If we ignore Him, I’m not sure if He stops or if our heart becomes hardened that we can no longer Hear Him.
Thank You, Lord for Your persistence. So many chances. Even when we were enemies, You knocked. Help us to respond to You. Give us the faith to go to You.