2 Chronicles 15:2, "Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.”
King Asa and his army had won a great battle but God didn’t want Asa to become arrogant with his victory. Asa was one of the better Kings and remained faithful to the Law and was known for ridding the land of idolatry. As a result, his kingdom enjoyed 35 years of peace, which was uncommon in those days.
Many times throughout the Bible we are told that God doesn’t change. Malachi 3:6 "For I am the LORD, I do not change.” Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change His mind.” Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” We can be confident that when we put our trust in God He will not let us down. But God’s actions are also influenced by our behavior. This is part of His unchanging character. God is actively involved in our daily lives and when we are “with Him” and “seek Him” we can be confident that He is with us. But if we stray and begin to live independently from Him there will be consequences.
Ezekiel 18:26-30, “When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies. Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive. Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. Yet the house of Israel says, 'The way of the Lord is not fair.' O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, and your ways which are not fair? "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways," says the Lord GOD. "Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin.”
Faith isn’t something magical that makes everything in life go perfectly. A life of faith is meant to reveal areas in our lives that are not in line with God’s Word so that we can become more like Him. Sanctification is the process of discovering and ridding our lives of anything that would compromise our relationship with God. Like King Asa we are promised that the Lord will be with us if we are with Him and if we seek Him we will find Him. If we, like King Asa, rid our lives of idols and destructive behaviors we too can expect many years of peace.