Pre-conference Devotional February 7th
Devotional
As we enter into this season of prayer for the CCHF conference this passage of scripture has been on my heart. While it is one of my favorite passages, the context of the story is tragic. The story of Asa King of Judah is found in 2 Chronicles 14-16. In Chapter 14 we learn that Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord. He tore down the high places and incense altars, built up the fortified cities and the land was at peace. He was victorious in battle against the Cushites and then there was peace until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign. In the thirty-sixth year of his reign Asa took the silver and gold from the treasuries of the Lord's temple and his palace and sent them to the king of Aram to make a treaty with him. After making this treaty a seer named Hanani came to him and told him that because he relied on the King of Aram instead of God he would be at war from that point forward.
Asa becomes angry and prideful. He put the seer in prison and began to oppress the people. His anger and pridefulness led to him eventually being afflicted with a disease in his feet. Even with this disease scripture tells us that Asa "did not seek help from the Lord, but only from physicians."
We are blessed at CCHF to be a community of Christian health providers, dedicating our service to God and man. We would do well to learn from King Asa's story. His reliance on human wisdom over divine guidance serves as a stark reminder to keep our pride in check and maintain our dependence on God. As we do so, we can avoid the pitfalls of self-reliance that ultimately led to Asa’s downfall. As we enter into this season of prayer let us set aside our pride and surrender our hearts to God, so we might experience the strong support He gives to those who are fully committed to Him.
