Corona Devo 1002

I had never met Azariah son of Oded, but he went out to meet me today, and maybe you too.

Azariah had a message for me from God, and if you are anything like me, it may have been for you too.  

~~~

Stale, distant, and detached from the Lord.  That's how I've been "feeling", and I want to "blame" God, as if He isn't staying with me.  I want to make the excuse that He has abandoned me...but I know that is not the truth.  How do I know?  Because this isn't the first time that I've grown lax/cold/unintentional in seeking God, and then (surprise!) I find myself "unable to connect" with Him.  

But, if we are going to "define this relationship flaw" with our Heavenly Father, let's be honest--it's never Him...it's us.  God never leaves us, but we all-to-often wander away from His side.

The Lord is tired of my (our) hot-and-cold/up-and-down faith-swings for Him.  He laments for the brokenness we cause when we are filled with ourselves instead of Him.    

While it is so very easy for us to get swept-up in the demands and the ways of the world, God desires for us to be swept-up in Him, devoted to Him, and He wants us to stay with Him.

So, God sent us a messenger today (through His Word): meet Azariah:

Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded, (2) and he went out to meet King Asa as he was returning from the battle. “Listen to me, Asa!” he shouted. “Listen, all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you.   ~2 Chronicles 15:1-2 

Now hear God's Word directed to us:

Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah... (2) and he went out to meet (us!)... 

“Listen to me, (our name)” he shouted. 

“Listen, all you people...! The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you.   ~2 Chronicles 15:1-2 (with additions)

Lord, forgive us!  We have wandered, our hearts have wandered, and we have been unfaithful in our allegiance to You.  And we have felt the unrest, we have been involved in fruitless efforts, and we have run dry of You.  

But we praise you for sending Your messengers to us through the Bible!  We WANT TO STAY WITH YOU!  That is all that we want, Dear Lord.  

We ARE seeking You today, and...we-feel-it...WE ARE FINDING You today.  Amen.

~~~

For a long time Israel was without the true God...  (4) But whenever they were in trouble and turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him out, they found him.  ~2 Chronicles 15:3-4

We will no longer abandon You.  We were in trouble, and we are now turning to You, Lord.  We are seeking You, Father.  And WE ARE FINDING YOU today!  Amen.

~~~

Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul.  ~2 Chronicles 15:12

THIS is the whole-hearted, all-in, devotion that You desire from Your children, and we enter into this covenant to seek You today, Father!

THIS is our desire, our intention, and our commitment to You: We are entering into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of our ancestors, with all our heart and soul.  ~2 Chronicles 15:12

JUST as our ancestor Moses entered into this covenant, saying to the people of Israel: "And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength" (Deuteronomy 6:5). 

JUST as Jesus encouraged His disciples to enter into this covenant: Jesus replied, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind" (Matthew 22:37).

Lord, today we enter into a covenant to seek You, the God of our ancestors, with all our heart and soul. (2 Chronicles 15:12)

~~~

They shouted out their oath of loyalty to the Lord with trumpets blaring and rams’ horns sounding. (15) All in Judah were happy about this covenant, for they had entered into it with all their heart. They earnestly sought after God, and they found him.  ~2 Chronicles 15:14-15

We shout out our oath of loyalty to the Lord today!!  I like the idea of trumpets blaring and rams’ horns sounding, but it's just so darn hard to find a ram's horn these days!  That doesn't, however, mean that we still can't boldly declare our oath of loyalty to the Lord.

We earnestly sought after God, and we found him! 

No more "staleness" in terms of our Savior.  

We will not accept feeling "distant" from our Divine God.  

And we are no longer "detached", but from here-forward, we are attached to our Lord.  

We are entering into it with all our heart.  

Thank you, Azariah son of Oded, for coming out to meet us today.  We have heard your message, and we have received it.  

And we have earnestly sought after God, and we have found him today.

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Corona Devo 1156

Image
At work, we provide Trainings for customers, so that they can be updated and educated on all of the latest features (and how to use them) within our product.  Many companies do this--sharing "Best Practices" are a way to ensure positive outcomes on the customer and vendor sides of things. My kids often offer me "life hacks" that they have learned from watching an online video promising to "save time" and "make your life easier".  And just this week, my husband enlightened me about the "tear-away" feature built into most plastic rings holding cans/bottles of pop or Gatorade together.  When separated, the plastic rips open easily, releasing the bottle--saving wildlife that might be caught if it is discarded as trash, and saving me  frustration or angst because I no longer have to pull with all my might to get a bottle out of the plastic rings.  ( Who knew? )  Life hacks do save time and make your life easier! Who couldn't benefit from
Read more

Corona Devo 1217

Image
The unanswered “why’s” of life, the disorder of our days, and even the unfairness of our struggles can cause us to question ourselves and also to question our God. But the order-of-Creation and the systems that God has set in place are undeniable answers that swing back and forth like God’s pendulum-reminder that He set the world in motion, and He continues to keep order, even when it seems as if we and our world are in dis- order.   Job was a man going through some heavy and hard stuff.   Maybe we are too.   Job’s trials had caused him to question the order of life, and possibly God’s dominion over it.   We can relate.   The “Why’s?” and the “Why Me’s” can stack up in our minds and hearts, but like a parent exercising loving-authority over a child, God reminds Job and us--of His power, omniscience and of His ultimate authority over everything: Creation… and us today .   Then the  Lord  answered Job from the whirlwind: (2) “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ig
Read more

Corona Devo 991

Running low on " good things " today?  Doesn't it (sometimes) seem like/trend like/read like/tweet like/water-cooler-chat or backyard-fence-visit like/intimidate like/depress like... there are no  good things in the land? . I know. It's no secret that many have abandoned  the Law of the  Lord,  and at times, that's us .   It is evident all around us that people have  followed each other  in this sin.  When we look around...or when we live our days...we can wonder: Are there  any  good things  left in the land? There are still some good things in the land ...and no matter how bleak we feel the "forecast" for today is...there will always  be  some good things in the land, because God is in the land.   T he Bible reminds us of that today.   ~~~ The Israelites (and their king, Rehoboam ) were God's people, but like all of us at times/seasons of our lives...they wandered from Lord and His ways.  They relaxed in their allegiance to the Lord, and then the
Read more