2 Chronicles 16:9a - God Strengthens Those Fully Committed To Him.

2 Chronicles 16:9a - God Strengthens Those Fully Committed To 
Him. 

2 Chronicles 16:9a (KJV)  For the eyes of the LORD run to and 
fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf 
of them whose heart is perfect toward him. 

2 Chronicles 16:9a (NIV)  For the eyes of the LORD range 
throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed 
to him. 

2 Chronicles 16:9a (HCSB) For the eyes of the Lord range 
throughout the earth to show Himself strong for those whose hearts are 
completely His.  

CONTEXT

Asa is another sad example of a man who made a splendid 
beginning but had a tragic ending. Early in his reign, he relied on the 
Lord, and God gave him a great victory. Then he believed the prophet's 
message and removed the idols from the land and called the people to 
reaffirm their allegiance to the Lord. He even deposed the queen mother 
for her idolatry! 
But when he had been king thirty-six years, he stopped relying 
on the Lord. He took the Lord's treasures and bought protection 
from a heathen king! The prophet Hanani told the king what was wrong: 
his heart was not loyal to the Lord (16:9). Instead of humbling 
himself and obeying, as he had done before, in anger Asa resisted the 
Word and God's servant (James 1:19). When we are wrong, we should 
admit it instead of trying to resist God. God is much stronger than 
our stubbornness. 
God is with us--seek Him (15:2). God answers prayer--trust Him 
(15:4). God rewards faithfulness--obey Him (15:7). You never outgrow the 
ability to sin. Noah was a mature man when he got drunk (Gen. 9:20-23), 
and so was Abraham when he lied about his wife (Gen. 12:10ff.). 
Moses was a seasoned leader when he lost his temper (Num. 20), and so 
was David when he committed adultery and murder. Asa's corpse lay on 
a bed of fragrant spices, but his name was not as fragrant as it 
had been. Ponder Proverbs 10:7, Ecclesiastes 7:1 and I Corinthians 
10:12. [Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe] 

APPLICATION COMMENTARY

God's eyes are everywhere, always searching for those who are 
wholehearted in service, that through them He might reveal His great power 
and perform His wondrous works. Through the deeds of righteous men 
the world becomes acquainted with the nature and power of God. [SDA 
Commentary] 

Like with so many verses, we read the first part and stop, 
thinking we already know the rest.  We hear messages on this verse that 
do the same thing - use the first phrase without going on.  Yes, 
the Lord sees all that is going on in the world; yes, He sees the 
unspeakable atrocities, the unimaginable sufferings, the undeniable 
sinfulness. But this verse of Scripture isn't talking about that.  The Lord 
is aggressively seeking to bless those who are living according to 
His standards.  He is anxious to move mightily on behalf of those 
who have put Him first, who are surrendered and committed.  Are you 
one of those whom the Lord is watching?  Surrender your life and 
commit your way to Him and He will show Himself strong on your behalf.  
[In His Time; Walk With Wisdom] 

Just because we relied on the LORD in the past is no guarantee 
of the future. The only way to ensure continued blessings is to 
actively seek and trust God each new day.  [The 365-Day Devotional 
Commentary] 

Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if 
nothing had yet been done. C.S. Lewis [The 365-Day Devotional 
Commentary] 

To please God we must have our priorities in order--relying first 
on God, trusting in his power, leaning on him. God is looking for 
people "whose hearts are fully committed to him." You are not left to 
flounder in your decisions alone; God will advise you through his Word 
and strengthen you. When you make it your priority to pray for God's 
guidance, he will help set all of your other priorities in order. [The One 
Year Bible for New Believers re 2Ch.16:7-9] 

Stand in the middle of the floor, reach down, grasp your 
shoelaces (straps, buckles, or whatever else is holding your shoes on), 
and see how far off the floor you can lift yourself. Try it three 
times. 
Things were looking bad for King Asa. Baasha, king of Israel, 
had sealed off all escape routes, and the situation looked hopeless. 
So Asa grabbed hold of his own bootstraps and gave them a good 
yank. He turned to Ben-hadad, king of Syria, and bribed him to come to 
his rescue. From all outward appearances, the strategy worked! 
But God saw the situation differently. Previously, Asa had 
trusted in the Lord, not in foreign powers. Now he was turning from 
trust in God to trust in bootstraps, and God disciplined him for doing 
so. 
What is the pattern of your life: belief or bootstraps? faith or 
footwork? trust or trickery? God or self? Each time you put on or change 
your shoes today remind yourself that it's always safe to trust the 
Lord. [Your Daily Walk SB] 

It is not sin to use human means to solve our problems, but it 
is sin to trust them more than God, to think they are better than 
God's ways, or to leave God completely out of the problem-solving 
process. [Life Application SB] 

There is an overwhelming array of individuals and programs to 
help us deal with our problems, none of these programs is sufficient 
without God's help. We need to put our trust in him. [Life Recovery SB] 

Do what it takes to be in position to receive His blessing.  The 
best position to be in is as close to God as you can get, right smack 
dab in the center of his will... You take care of His business and 
He will take care of yours.  Michelle McKinney Hammond 

George Mueller, at more than ninety years of age, in an address 
to ministers and other Christian workers, said, "I was converted in 
November 1825, but I didn't come to the point of total surrender of my 
heart until four years later, in July 1829. It was then I realized my 
love for money, prominence, position, power, and worldly pleasure was 
gone. God, and He alone, became my all in all. In Him I found 
everything I needed, and I desired nothing else. By God's grace, my 
understanding of His sufficiency has remained to this day, making me an 
exceedingly happy man. It has led me to care only about the things of God. 
And so, dear believers, I kindly ask if you have totally surrendered 
your heart to God, or is there something in your life you refuse to 
release, in spite of God's call? [Streams in the Desert by Cowman]