Balance = Rest

It can take very little to send a scale tipping. Sometimes all it truly takes is one feather, one grain of rice, one measly ounce to upset a delicate balance. A price one dollar more than exists in your wallet. Silly as it seems, one false move and one mistake can lead to disaster. Asa, a king of Judah, faced this reality during his reign, as told in 2 Chronicles 14-16. He started out rooted in the Lord -- his army defeated the Cushites by relying on God's power, he removed idols from Judah, and he committed both his heart and people to God. As a result, war ceased for a long period of time. All was right in their world! But peace, while then present, was not forever certain. As was shared with Asa in 2 Chronicles 15:2b, "'The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.'" Once seeking God with such vigor, Asa eventually turned away and placed his trust in worldly powers. And, true to His word, God ceased to provide as He had.

In chapter 16, King Asa made an agreement with the king of Aram, giving him money to break a separate treaty with the king of Israel. At first glance this isn't too outrageous a move. God, however, saw a far more important treaty broken during that time: a treaty between Him and Asa. 2 Chronicles 16:7-9, God sends a messenger to the king: "At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: 'Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.'" True to His word, God revoked the good things provided for Judah. One mistake does not define anyone, but Asa took this news and dug his own grave in verse 10: "Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison. At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people." Yikes. Peace may have come back to his kingdom, but by lashing out and doing harm, he turned fully away from God whom he once served so faithfully. The scale tipped and sent him sprawling. 

Three years after this falling out, Asa found himself struggling with his health. For the two years leading up to this death, however, he still did not repent and turn back to God. 2 Chronicles 16:12-13: "In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians. Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his ancestors." All the way to death, he continued to forsake God. This, to me, is such a mournful thing. This is a ruler who once helped his people to find peace and rest! His faithfulness started off as a remarkable thing, only to wither over time. For one reason or another, he involved himself with measures of his own power, his own persistence, and the assistance of humans over God. It's such a shame -- and such an important mirror to look at ourselves in.

How do you relate to Asa in your own life? I know that I, myself, have periods of high faith and devotion. Those moments seem so powerful! But when they falter, if I let go of my intentionality, everything seems to unravel. Balance is broken and all aspects of my experience suffer from it. It's important to keep in mind the promise that God gives not just to Asa, but to all of us: when we seek Him, He reveals Himself to us. So to what degree are we seeking? Do we persist in our sin and turn away at the precise moments when we need grace and healing? When out of balance, we face diverse battles. But when we are right with God, he gives us rest on all sides.