(1 Kings 15:11-15 ESV) 11 And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as David his father had done. 12 He put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. 13 He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and burned it at the brook Kidron. 14 But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true to the LORD all his days. 15 And he brought into the house of the LORD the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.
I’m terribly hard on myself. I doesn’t seem to matter if what I did was good or not; I just seem to think I could have done a better job; I could have done it differently. As much as I tell myself to rest in the fact that I gave it my best effort, I wrestle with feelings of inadequacy.
As I was reading the scripture passage for today, I couldn’t help but notice that Asa was a very productive King. “Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” That’s pretty strong affirmation! And, it gets better…
- He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord
- He put away the male cult prostitutes
- He removed his own mother from being queen because she crafted an idol
- He even cut down her image and burned it
- He brought into the house of the Lord the sacred gifts of silver, gold, and vessels
That’s a HUGE list of victories! However, right in the middle of the victories is a big BUT. Even though Asa had accomplished so many wonderful things, there was one very important thing that he simply could not get done. “The high places were not taken away.” (Verse 14) The high places was where the people would go to engage in idol worship. And, even though he had made significant progress, he fell short of the ideal.
Does this mean that Asa failed? Could he have done things differently? Was it possible for him to have had TOTAL victory instead of PARTIAL victory? Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows? Who cares?
I say that because the “BUT” was followed by a “NEVERTHELESS!” “Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true to the LORD all his days.” (Verse 14) Nevertheless means “in spite of; notwithstanding.” Even though Asa could not get the high places removed, his heart remained wholly (completely) true! The implication is that he remained faithful to the task for as long as he lived.
In my short life, there have been things that I wanted so desperately to accomplish; so many people I’ve wanted to help. I’ve counseled people and felt confident that they could overcome their obstacles if only they would respond to the Word of God. And yet, they refused the counsel and remained in their trouble.
The truth is, there will be things that just won’t get done; people that won’t get saved, or healed, or delivered. NEVERTHELESS! My heart will stay wholly true to the Lord forever! How about you?
PRAYER: Lord, regardless of what the scorecard reveals, I’m determined to keep my heart true to You and Your purposes in my life. Help me to trust you for the best result in every situation. Amen.