2 Chronicles 16:9: “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you [King Asa] have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.”

October 3rd, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

In chapter 14, when the massive Ethiopian army came against King Asa, he cried out to the Lord. But here in chapter 16 when King Baasha of Israel came against him, he acted foolishly by buying a protection treaty with the king of Syria instead of relying upon the Lord to intervene. As a result, God declared that from that point on Asa would always be at war.

Our heavenly Father’s eyes are continually searching every nation, city, village, and home throughout every corner of the earth for a person whose heart is blameless (loyal, whole, undivided toward Himself). The prophet Zechariah said something similar: “the eyes of the LORD . . . scan to and fro throughout the whole earth (Zech. 4:10).” Blameless does not mean sinless, but rather that we keep short accounts with God. When we are convicted of our sin, we respond quickly with confession and repentance. And 2 Chronicles 16:9 tells us that the Lord will “show Himself strong on behalf” of those people. What an amazing promise! God is always watching over us. He never misses a single opportunity at any time or place to demonstrate His power on behalf of weak people who are relying and trusting in Him and not man. He is waiting to respond with acts of grace and blessing when we seek Him in humility.

There is an old story from the world of classical piano that illustrates this idea of seeking. Andor Foldes was a highly skilled, 16-year-old Hungarian pianist when Emil von Sauer, one of the most renowned pianists of the day came to Budapest. He was famous not only for his abilities, but also for being the last surviving pupil of the great Franz Liszt. When Foldes played for him, von Sauer walked over and kissed him on the forehead. “My son,” he said, “when I was your age I became a student of Liszt. He kissed me on the forehead after my first lesson, saying, ‘Take good care of this kiss—it comes from Beethoven, who gave it to me after hearing me play.’ I have waited for years to pass on this sacred heritage, but now I feel you deserve it.”

Thankfully, to receive the kiss of approval from our heavenly Father, we do not need to possess any profound talent, just a heart that is turned toward the Lord. If we will remain blameless (not sinless but blameless) then some day soon we will all hear God say, “Well done.”

“LORD, we want to be blameless this day so You can use us to reach others.”