Seek God’s plan
Nevertheless good things are found in you, in that you have removed the wooden images from the land, and have prepared your heart to seek God. 2 Chronicles 19:3
The Hebrew word for seek is "darash," which means to seek with care, enquire and require. Simply put, seeking the Lord is to inquire about God's heart and require His presence. The key verse today is where Jehu rebukes King Jehoshaphat for forming an alliance with the wicked king Ahab. But God sees the good things in Jehoshaphat, including his heart to seek God.
Unlike his father Asa, who was known for his deviation from seeking God towards the end of his reign. The king allied with Syria, and when he became sick, he sought the help of a physician rather than God. (2 Chron 16:12) It doesn't mean we don't turn to man or seek medical attention when we are ill, but King Asa trusted men rather than God. Especially, he imprisoned the seer who reminded him to rely on God rather than men.
Contrary to his father, Jehoshaphat sought the Lord so that God's presence was with him, and he became a great king in Judah. As recorded in 2 Chronicles 20, God delivered Jehoshaphat from the great multitude of enemies and promised that the battle was not theirs to fight, but God's. They were only required to “position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.” (2 Chron 17) What a powerful deliverance and promise!
Our lives are filled with struggles and battles. Do we seek God's battle plan or do we make our own plans? In the story of Jehoshaphat, we learn that when we seek God and require His presence, He will fight our battles for us. It is all about setting our hearts to seek God like Jehoshaphat did in prayer and worship.
Seeing God doesn't just happen when we face crises and fight battles like kings did. Seeking God is a lifestyle and heart attitude, as we try consciously to find out what pleases God and what is God's heart, as in the meaning of "seek with care", we care about God and what He desires.
Forsaking the Lord is the opposite of seeking. All the evil kings in the Bible shared one thing in common: they forsook the Lord, so they did not follow His commandments and followed other gods instead.
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord” Jeremiah 29:13-14, If we seek the Lord and do not forsake Him, we will be guided by Him and enjoy His presence at all times.
Blessing prayer: We will seek the LORD our God, and we will find You with all your heart and all our soul. In Jesus’ name, Amen
