2 Chronicles 20:37
‘Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your works.” So the ships were wrecked and could not go to Tarshish.’
We all have goals and things we want to accomplish. We plan, we save and we execute. That is an enjoyable part of life. However, when we come to Christ He becomes the Lord of our lives. We are not our own. When we follow the Lord the results are blessed. When we disobey Him the results can go bad.
The concept of lordship concerns many. That is the reason most don’t come to God. They want to do what they want to do. I misunderstood lordship as a young believer and was tormented by it. As I learned about Grace and His love this righted itself.
His lordship is a blessing. He is the wisest and wants the best for us. However, we can’t do anything we want. We have to obey the Ten Commandments along with following the dictates of the bible. We also have to keep things in balance. He is to be our God, not our pursuits or hobbies. In this case it was the alliance. It was an ungodly one. It didn’t please the Lord.
I want to look at the blessing of lordship. He blesses our obedience. If He calls us to limit something or to give it up, He blesses our obediance. Malachi 3:10 says, ‘Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,” says the LORD of Hosts. “See if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you blessing without measure.”‘ He fills us with joy, contentment, freedom, He blesses our results and so on. Some of our involvements enslave us. By obeying Him He gives us control.
Our last entry in Chronicles focused on bad alliances. Jehoshaphat’s friend was an ungodly king who didn’t seek the Lord or lead the nation to God. This wasn’t a friendship that God wanted. He judged their efforts and their ships were destroyed.
God speaks about allowing us to prosper. That comes with obedience. Psalm 1:3 says this of the one who focuses on God’s Word, “He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.” He wants to make our way to prosper. As we are in His Word and walk in obedience He blesses us. Our way prospers.
Everyone wants to accomplish their goals and dreams. So did the two kings. However theirs was a bad alliance and God thwarted their efforts. This was for Jehoshaphat’s well being. This alliance would have brought him to bad places.
God wants more for us than for our plans to succeed. He wants a relationship with us. Fix that and the rest comes. But He is primary. As we have a right relationship with Him it all falls into place. Interestingly enough our concerns about our goals fade. That which we prized is no longer a bid deal. Our values become loving God and loving others.
Thank You God for being patient with us. Even though we don’t always obey, You help us.