Sometimes we make the mistake of placing our trust in people when we should be placing our trust in the Lord. And since God cannot fail and people can, we end up getting hurt and disappointed. The Bible says that King Asa of Judah had a perfect heart towards God. Yet when an enemy nation came against him, he panicked and purchased a military alliance with another king. And he did it with funds he took from the house of God. Upon hearing the news of Asa’s coalition, his enemy retreated. Asa had figured out the solution. His plan had worked – or so it seemed. Then God sent the prophet Hanani to rebuke King Asa. Why? ‘Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the LORD your God’ (2 Chronicles 16:7 NKJV). This is often the plight of those who are highly logical and intelligent. Their confidence is in their own ability to figure out a solution to their dilemmas. Hanani continued to rebuke Asa: ‘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 have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars’ (2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV). Later in life, when Asa faced a life-threatening disease, ‘he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians’ (2 Chronicles 16:12 NIV). They could not help him, so he died. So the word for today is – never give people the trust that should be placed in the Lord alone.

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.