The Eyes of the Lord Move To and Fro

If you’ve been following us online, you’re aware that we’ve continued to experience issues with our vehicle. Currently, we’re waiting for an engine replacement and expect to be on the road to Mexico within the next two weeks. In the meantime, we’re waiting and trusting the Lord for His timing.

I was reading in 2 Chronicles this past week and came across a thought-provoking verse in chapter 16 that I wanted to share with you.

As you probably recall, Saul was Israel’s first king, followed by David, then Solomon. Subsequently, the kingdom was divided into two: Israel (the Northern Kingdom) and Judah (the Southern Kingdom), each with its own succession of kings. According to the Bible, Israel had only evil kings, while Judah had a mix of good and bad kings, as described in 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles. (Fun fact: in the original Hebrew manuscripts, 1 and 2 Chronicles were one book, as was 1 and 2 Kings.)

Chapter 16 of 2 Chronicles takes place during the reign of Asa, king of Judah. Asa was generally a good king (14:2). Still, in this chapter, he is twice rebuked for not relying on the Lord, first during the threat of conflict and second when faced with personal illness. God sends Hanani the seer to confront him.

What stood out to me when I was reading this passage was a statement made by Hanani in verse 9: 

“For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” (NASB)

The eyes of the Lord move throughout the whole earth. What is He looking for? He is looking for His own. Why? That He may strongly support them. Another translation reads, “to strengthen those who are devoted to him” (NET) and “to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless.” (ESV)

Two things stood out to me from this verse that I wanted to share with you.

First, God’s interest was in identifying those who were completely His. In the context of ancient Israel, this referred to people who refused to worship foreign gods and makeshift idols. Instead of putting their hope in false gods, their trust was in Him and Him alone.

A natural question is, what does it mean to be wholly devoted to Him? Can I say that I am completely His? Positionally, in Christ, yes, I am. Like all believers, I have been forgiven, declared right with Him, adopted as His son, sealed by His Spirit, and set apart as His own. (Rom 3:24, 8:18; Eph 1:7; 1 Cor 6:11; 2 Cor. 1:22) Practically, though, I ask myself- where is my trust right now? In whom or what am I tempted to place my trust outside of the Great I Am?

For me, there is little that is more stressful than vehicle issues. After all, they are tied to our ability to function and to our finances. (Right now, also tied to our ability to return to Mexico) This delay has been good for me to meditate on where my trust has been- my own strategies, resources, and foresight. It has been good to remember upon Whom I am truly dependent.

Second, going back to our verse in 2 Chronicles, God’s disposition was to strongly support those whose hearts were completely His. He was ready to be there. He was ready to support, strengthen, protect and prevail.

This is something we see repeatedly throughout the Scriptures, including earlier in Asa’s life. In 14:9-15, Asa found himself confronted with a show of force over twice the size of his own, and he was thrust into dependence on the Lord. He lifted his voice to God in prayer and declared his need. And what happened? God showed up.

God shows up. He is a God who says, “I will never leave you or forsake [abandon] you.” (Deut 31:6-8; Heb 13:5-6) Remember Romans 10:11? “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” Those who put their confidence in Him find that He shows up. He is reliable, trustworthy, faithful, dependable, whichever word you want to use. These verses show us that He is eager be trusted and desirous to show Himself trustworthy.

Right now, while we continue to wait and trust Him for His timing, we have already seen Him show up by providing all that we need to cover the cost of the vehicle repairs. He has shown up in our time of need once again.

Our problem is that we forget that the same God who showed up back then, back when we boldly trusted Him in a time of great need, will show up again right now as we face the unknown of whatever hardship has come our way. We forget that He is a God who searches the earth to strongly support those devoted to Him.

Of course, we do not know how or when He will show up. These are the real, raw, beautiful moments of dependence I genuinely believe God desires– when we are totally abandoned to trusting Him, not knowing how or when He will show up, but confident that He will. We have handcuffed ourselves to the train of faith, on board for wherever it takes us. It truly is an adventure, not so different from the faith of the heroes of old, which we find throughout the pages of Scripture.

Anyways, this has gotten long. What’s the point of all of this? I want to be wholly devoted to Him and remember to anticipate His strong support.

How about you?