In Chapters 14 to 16 of II Chronicles, we read of King Asa who started out as an excellent king. When he was attacked by a million-man Ethiopian army, he called on the Lord with one of the most wonderful prayers for help found anywhere in the Old Testament: "Lord, there is no one besides Thee to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in Thee and in Thy Name have come against this multitude. O Lord Thou art our God; let not man prevail against Thee" (14:11). That expression of faith was enough for the Lord to rout the enemy. That prayer of helpless dependence on the Lord is a good prayer to pray when we face some trial too.

But after the victory, a prophet came and warned Asa saying, "If you continue to seek the Lord, He will allow you to find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you" (15:2). God knew the danger of Asa becoming more self-confident after his victory and of ceasing to be constantly dependent on the Lord for help. This is the danger that we all face.

Sure enough this was exactly what happened. For the next twenty years things went well with Asa. But then he faced another enemy - Israel - that had a much weaker army than the Ethiopians. But this time, instead of seeking the Lord, he decided to seek for help from a heathen king (16:1-6). His immediate problem was solved thereby, but Asa lost out spiritually as a result. God sent the prophet Hanani to point this out to Asa.

In Hanani's words to Asa, we have one of the most wonderful promises in the Old Testament: "The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His." (2 Chron.16:9). Notice there that the Lord eyes are not searching for the wholehearted - for He already knows who they are. It says here that His eyes are moving around looking for ways in which He can support these wholehearted ones. This is a wonderful promise that assures us that if we are wholehearted disciples of Jesus, the Lord will move on our behalf to support us all over the earth.

One of the prayers that I have prayed for many years now is, "Lord, lead me to people who are seeking for a godly life in my city, so that we can bless one another. Then lead me to such people in my country, and all over the world as well." If your heart is completely the Lord's, and if your only ambition is to glorify God and do His will on earth as it is done in heaven, then the Lord will lead you to other people of like mind, from all parts of the world. He will bless you through them and bless them through you. That has been my experience through many, many years now.

Many Christians are correct in the doctrines, but their hearts are not completely the Lord's. They have other ambitions. Even many full-time Christian workers have private ambitions. They seek for honour, money and comfort. Therefore they never experience the fulfillment of this promise.

Give up every carnal ambition then and give your whole heart to the Lord to fulfill His purpose alone, and He will work on your behalf miraculously. If you are waiting on the Lord to find a marriage-partner, He will bring someone for you, from the other end of the world if necessary, because His eyes are moving across the earth on your behalf. He will open doors for you across the earth to serve Him, without your having to lift a finger yourself. He will meet every need of yours, even before you ask Him. There are amazing blessings in store for those whose hearts are completely His!

But King Asa did not respond in repentance to Hanani's message. Instead, he was so angry that he imprisoned the prophet. Things went from bad to worse. Asa then began to oppress the poor Israelites (16:10). Three years later Asa faced another crisis - this time in his own body. He had a sickness that affected his feet severely - perhaps diabetic gangrene. Being the king he had enough money to call for the best doctors in the land to attend on him. But he never did what he should have done first, before calling the doctors in - judge himself and seek the Lord. And so despite the best medical attention, he died (16:12,13).