Seek the Lord
2 Chronicles 14–16
Scripture overflows with a recurring invitation: Seek the Lord and live. It’s a promise repeated from generation to generation, painted onto the lives of kings and commoners alike. But it’s also a warning: turn away from God, and no matter how comfortable or successful life may appear, you’re walking toward emptiness.
King Asa of Judah gives us a powerful glimpse of both outcomes.
Asa began well. When he came to the throne, his first move was to purge Judah of its idols. He “removed, smashed, and cut down” every false god he could find—even going so far as to remove his own grandmother from her position of influence because of her pagan practices (2 Chronicles 14:3–5; 15:16). Asa understood what many today ignore: if you want to seek the Lord, you must first clear the clutter. No one can serve both God and idols—not in a nation, not in a family, not in a heart.
So Asa cleaned house. And what followed was peace. “The land is still ours,” Asa said, “because we have sought the Lord our God. We sought him and he has given us rest on every side” (14:7). That’s what it means to seek the Lord—not just as a Sunday habit, but as a daily, defining posture of life. The result? God gives rest. Not just a break from trouble, but a soul-deep confidence that your life is secure in his hands.
But then came the test. A vast army rose up against Judah, too strong to defeat in their own strength. Asa prayed, “Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you” (14:11). He knew his limits—and more importantly, he knew God’s power. Asa didn’t flinch. He trusted God to fight for him, and God delivered in a stunning victory.
So far, Asa’s reign is a model of what it means to seek the Lord: destroy idols, pursue God wholeheartedly, trust him in crisis, and invite others to do the same. In chapter 15, Asa called the entire nation to a covenant renewal. They worshiped with joy, brought offerings, and swore to seek the Lord with all their hearts. And again, the result? “The Lord gave them rest on every side” (15:15).
But Asa’s story is also a sobering reminder that starting strong isn’t enough. Years later, when another enemy rose up, Asa didn’t pray. He didn’t seek. He made a political alliance instead. It worked—at least in worldly terms. The enemy was defeated. But Asa lost something far greater than a battle: he lost the strength and peace that come only from God. The prophet Hanani rebuked him with a haunting truth: “The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (16:9). But Asa wasn’t committed anymore.
From that point forward, Asa grew hardened. When he became sick, he refused to seek God’s help. And when he died, Scripture records that he was buried with honor, but he died angry and alone, spiritually distant from the God he once trusted so well (16:10–14).
So what does this mean for us?
It means that seeking the Lord must be more than a phase. It must be the pattern of our lives—from beginning to end. It means that idols must be torn down continually, not just once. It means that every time we face battles, pressures, or pain, we have a choice: seek the Lord or lean on ourselves. It means that worship should involve our whole being—hearts, voices, and even our material wealth—as a way of declaring that God is our true security. And it means that our legacy will be shaped not just by how we start, but by how we finish.
What do you want your final words to be? How do you want your story to end? Asa shows us that it’s possible to begin with strength and drift into weakness. But Christ calls us to run the race with endurance, fixing our eyes on him—the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). He is the one who promises, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
Seek the Lord. Not just once. Not just in crisis. But every day, for all your days.
