Wholeheartedly devoted, until…
“Asa was wholeheartedly devoted his entire life. He brought … consecrated gifts into God’s temple: silver, gold, and utensils. There was no war until the thirty-fifth year… Israel’s King Baasha went to war against Judah… So Asa brought out the silver and gold from … the LORD’s temple … and sent it to Aram’s King Ben-hadad … in Damascus.” – 2 Chronicles 15:17-16:3, CSB “‘Because you depended on the king of Aram and have not depended on the LORD your God… You have been foolish… you will have wars from now on.’ Asa was enraged with the seer and put him in prison… Asa developed a disease in his feet… in creasingly severe. Yet even in his disease he didn’t seek the LORD but only the physicians.” – 2 Chronicles 16:7-12, CSB
Trust can shift
Something sinister was brewing. For years, during his time of peace and prosperity, and even through significant faith challenges, Asa had remained wholeheartedly devoted in his heart to the LORD, but then something else started slowly creeping in un-noticed: a trust in wealth and practical resources began to overshadow his trust in God. Previously, he had seen God’s intervention as he was able to repel and defeat a well-equipped one-million-man army. But now? Now where did he turn when war came upon him? To his wealth. He took the gifts intended – and even gifts already given! – for the house of God, using them to buy an army.
Primary trust: God or Resource?
Rather than trust God first – the same God who had delighted to help Asa during previous conflict – he trusted more to wealth and conventional wisdom. God sent prophetic correction to Asa, but his heart had changed and Asa couldn’t receive it, instead locking away the one who dared to say something. He was angered to such a degree that years later when facing a new battle – disease – Asa didn’t even seek the LORD for his healing, turning only to the physicians.
God grants wealth and wisdom, yet in our blessing we could subtly begin to trust in those blessings rather than the God who gives them. Leading our hearts toward continued trust in the God of our resources rather than putting our faith primarily in the resource itself is a wise discipline. That discipline trains our hearts to keep trusting during the next crisis, the next difficulty, and the next faith adventure.
Think:
Why do you think it can be difficult for well-resourced people to trust God Himself rather than the resources God has given? Read Deuteronomy 8:11-14,17 to hear God’s perspective.
Money and medicine are wonderful blessings, aren’t they! When we face challenges, it’s no sin to use the resources available as long as we use them in God-honoring ways, but God still wants to be our primary resource, our primary trust. Would you say God is your primary trust, or is He secondary to the other resources available to you?
In what ways are you training your heart to trust God in future faith adventures? What is one step or change you sense God is challenging you to make to center your trust on Him rather than the resources He has given you?
Prayer:
“Father, thank You for the resources You have given me. I am blessed in so many ways! No matter how much or how little I have, I know You want my heart to find its primary trust in You. Please lead me in using the resources You have given in God-honoring ways. By Your grace, guard me from turning blessings into idols. Keep drawing my heart forward with You in great faith!”