Introduction
Last week we talked about the promise that God gives strength equal to our days.
This week, Holy Spirit brings us to another great strength passage:
“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” — 2 Chronicles 16:9 ESV
The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war.” – 2 Chronicles 16:9 NLT
That verse tells us something powerful about God.
God is not passive.
God is not distant.
God is not unaware.
His eyes are searching the earth for people whose hearts are fully committed to Him.
And when He finds that kind of heart, He gives strength.
Not just strength to survive.
Strength to turn messes into momentum.
Strength to turn battles into victories.
Strength to keep going when life becomes complicated.
#VirtualAmen
God is looking for committed hearts He can strengthen with supernatural help.
The story of King Asa is primarily found in the Old Testament books of 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles. His reign is especially detailed in 2 Chronicles, where his spiritual reforms, military victories, and later failures are explored in depth.
Main Bible Passages About King Asa
- 1 Kings 15:9–24 — A shorter overview of Asa’s reign as king of Judah.
- Emphasizes:
- His devotion to God early in his reign
- Removal of idols
- Conflict with Baasha king of Israel
- His illness in later years
- Emphasizes:
This is where the fuller narrative appears.
- 2 Chronicles 14
- Asa becomes king
- Removes pagan altars and idols
- Calls Judah back to the Lord
- Experiences peace and military strength
- Victory over the Ethiopian army after crying out to God
- 2 Chronicles 15
- Prophet Azariah encourages Asa
- National covenant renewal
- Revival among the people
- Asa removes even his grandmother Maacah from her royal position because of idolatry
- 2 Chronicles 16
- Asa later relies on political alliances instead of God
- Makes an alliance with Ben-hadad of Syria
- Rebuked by the prophet Hanani
- Becomes angry with the prophet
- Suffers from a severe foot disease
- Scripture notes that he sought physicians but did not seek the Lord
- Ends his reign and dies after 41 years as king
I. Asa Started Strong Because He Sought the Lord
King Asa began his reign well.
The Bible says:
“And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.” — 2 Chronicles 14:2 ESV
That is a strong beginning.
He removed idols.
He cleaned up the spiritual atmosphere.
He called Judah back to God.
The Scripture says:
“He commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment.” — 2 Chronicles 14:4 ESV
Asa understood something every leader, every family, every church, and every believer must remember:
Peace is not a reason to drift–Peace is an opportunity to prepare.
For ten years, Judah had rest. But Asa did not waste the quiet season. He fortified cities. He strengthened the nation. He used peace as preparation.
That matters because sooner or later, trouble comes.
A massive army came against Judah. Asa was outnumbered and overwhelmed.
But Asa prayed:
“O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you.” — 2 Chronicles 14:11 ESV
That prayer turned a mess into momentum.
Asa did not deny the size of the problem.
He declared the greatness of his God.
#VirtualAmen
Faith does not pretend the battle is small; faith remembers God is bigger.
II. After Victory, Asa Needed Fresh Consecration
After God gave Judah victory, the Lord sent a prophet named Azariah.
This is important.
Sometimes we think we only need a word from God when we are losing. But Asa needed a word from God after he had won.
Victory can be dangerous.
After a victory, people can become:
- proud
- careless
- spiritually relaxed
- self-congratulatory
- less prayerful than they were before
So God sent a reminder.
Azariah said:
“The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you.” — 2 Chronicles 15:2 ESV
Then he said:
“But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” — 2 Chronicles 15:7 ESV
That word strengthened Asa.
The Bible says:
“As soon as Asa heard these words… he took courage and put away the detestable idols.” — 2 Chronicles 15:8 ESV
That phrase is powerful: “he took courage.”
Courage is not always something you feel. Sometimes courage is something you take hold of because God’s Word has reminded you who you are and what He has called you to do.
After destabilizing seasons, we need the truth of God to restabilize our minds and restore our spirits.
Some of us know what that feels like.
Life can shake you.
Grief can shake you.
Conflict can shake you.
Disappointment can shake you.
Even success can shake you if it pulls your attention away from God.
That is why we need repeated moments of rededication.
Not because we need to be saved again, but because we need to say again:
“Lord, I still belong to You.”
“My future still belongs to You.”
“My family still belongs to You.”
“My ministry still belongs to You.”
“My heart still belongs to You.”
#VirtualAmen
Every victory should become an altar where we rededicate ourselves to God.
III. Asa Later Failed Because He Stopped Relying on God
If Asa’s story ended in 2 Chronicles 15, we would remember him only as a great reformer and faithful king.
But chapter 16 gives us a warning.
Years later, Asa faced another crisis. This time, instead of seeking the Lord, he relied on political strategy and human alliance. He took treasure from the house of the Lord and used it to secure help from Syria.
The prophet Hanani confronted him:
“Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the LORD your God… you have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.” — 2 Chronicles 16:7, 9 ESV
Then comes the great strength verse:
“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” — 2 Chronicles 16:9 ESV
The tragedy is not that Asa faced another battle.
The tragedy is that he faced it differently.
Earlier, he prayed.
Later, he manipulated.
Earlier, he relied on God.
Later, he relied on politics.
Earlier, he listened to the prophet.
Later, he imprisoned the prophet.
Earlier, he turned a mess into momentum.
Later, he turned momentum into a mess.
That is the warning of this sermon.
It is possible to start strong and drift later.
It is possible to win yesterday’s battle and mishandle today’s.
It is possible to trust God in one season and neglect Him in another.
Paul understood this danger. He wrote:
“I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” — 1 Corinthians 9:27 ESV
Paul was not casual about finishing well.
Neither should we be.
IV. Keep Listening, Keep Seeking, Keep Finishing
We draw several lessons from Asa’s life, and they are worth considering plainly.
First, use major moments to rededicate yourself to Christ.
Paul wrote:
“He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” — 2 Corinthians 5:15 ESV
That is the Christian life.
We do not live for ourselves anymore.
Second, keep listening to biblical truth.
Asa listened when he was younger, but later he rejected correction. That is spiritually dangerous.
When we lose our appetite for God’s Word, we lose sensitivity to God’s voice.
Third, do not quit before the finish line.
Asa’s life reminds us that the finish matters.
It is not enough to have a strong beginning.
It is not enough to remember past victories.
It is not enough to talk about what God used to do.
We need present-tense faith.
We need to be able to say what Samuel said when he raised the Ebenezer stone:
“Till now the LORD has helped us.” — 1 Samuel 7:12 ESV
Thus far, God has helped us.
And if He has helped us thus far, we ought to keep trusting Him from here forward.
Closing
The eyes of the Lord are still searching.
He is looking through families.
He is looking through churches.
He is looking through cities.
He is looking through generations.
And He is looking for hearts fully committed to Him.
Not perfect performance.
A committed heart.
Not flawless history.
A surrendered heart.
Not impressive credentials.
A dependent heart.
And when God finds that kind of heart, He gives strength.
So bring Him the mess.
Bring Him the pressure.
Bring Him the battle.
Bring Him the fatigue.
Bring Him the place where you feel outnumbered.
Because God still knows how to turn messes into momentum.