1 Kings 14-15 and 2 Chronicles 11-15.
When words or phrases in the Bible are repeated, it’s important to take note. There’s a message the author is trying to get home. In the story of Rehoboam, Abijah, and Asa, we see a recurring theme: the condition of the heart. God has already revealed that He is a God who looks upon the heart instead of the outward appearance. We learned this from King David’s life. And so, God does not change. From one king to the next, God is looking for men who would submit to His rule, whose hearts would be wholly committed to Him. Why is God so drawn to these kind of hearts? Paul told us why in 2 Corinthians 12. He said, “For when I am weak, I am strong.”
Only when our hearts are fully devoted to the Lord, can He be strong in us. He is drawn to our weakness; our dependence upon Him. In this way, He can be revealed to a world who so desperately needs to know Him. God can reveal Himself through our dependency. We hate suffering, and we hate anything that causes us to see our weaknesses, but instead of fighting against the trials when they come, may they cause us to learn to accept our insufficiency and draw from His strength through us. We can only know His strength to the extent we accept our weaknesses. We must learn to completely depend upon Him so that His glory can be made known through us.
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