An Incredible Promise

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless[b] toward him.” (1 Chronicles 16:9)  

This is one of my favorite promises in the Bible.

It comes from a conversation between the prophet, Hanani, and King Asa. The king is being attacked and is struggling to trust the LORD. Instead of turning to God, Asa decides to take matters into his own hands.

This is exactly what it can feel like sometimes when we’re facing a difficult relationship. Rather than listening to the word of God and following his way, we take matters into our own hands and do what seems best at the moment.

For example, being honest in our relationships (Ephesians 4:25) puts us in a vulnerable position. It can be frightening to let people know what we’re really thinking and feeling, so instead we try to manipulate or control situations by being passive aggressive, or just outright aggressive, rather than just stating the truth in love with gentleness.

Yet the promise is: “…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.” What an incredible promise.

When we step outside of God’s commands for our relationships, then we step outside of his blessing. When we are seeking to obey, then we experience his support. I want God’s support. I want to know that his power is at work on my behalf.

In this series on relationships, we have to be continually asking ourselves, “Am I going to trust the world’s wisdom, or am I going to listen to what God has to say and trust him, even if it feels like I’m being asked to do something that will make my position weaker?”

Jesus is a great example of this for us. He trusted his Father, even when he knew that it would crush him. Even in his death, Jesus trusted that his Father would powerfully redeem the whole situation, if he would just trust in him. We need to do the same in our relationships today.