God Sees When We Are On Our Knees

I received a call this week from a friend asking me to come see her. Something had happened in her life that made her feel as if the foundation of her world was shaking. Although it doesn't always happen the same way, life often shows us how vulnerable we are. Suddenly, we find we are not in control. The world tilts, we loose our balance and find ourselves on our knees.

King Asa was a man who who began his reign in Judah by trusting in God and commanding Judah to seek the LORD. When he was confronted by an army of a million men and 300 chariots Asa's response was to cry out to the Lord his God, "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, and in your name come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you." (2 Chronicles 14:11) So how did the Lord respond? He came to Asa's aid and brought him victory.

But in Asa's thirty-sixth year of reigning something happened, Asa lost his balance. Fear of the enemy brought him to his knees. But this time when the circumstances of his life humbled him he looked to man and to and not to God for help. In fact Asa took the silver and the gold from the treasures of the house of the LORD and sent them to the King of Syria. Asa recognized his vulnerability but he forgot to rely on God. 

God responded to Asa's lack of faith by sending a prophet to him with this message, "The eyes of the LORD run to and fro through the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless towards him. You have done foolishly in this, from now on you will have wars." (2 Chronicles 16:9) Asa's sense of fear and vulnerability had brought him to his knees but he had failed to use this as a position of prayer. Because he failed to be put his confidence in God and he chose to trust in what he could see instead of the LORD he no longer experienced the strong support of God.

Heavenly Father, fear and vulnerability often cause me to find myself on my knees. Help me to use this position to seek You in prayer. Help me remember that, "The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears toward their cry...The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:15-18)