How does one gain the favor of the Lord and experience His blessing in their life? Have you wondered why others seem to find blessing and happiness in their lives while you have merely observed it from a distance without really obtaining for yourself?
Oswald Chambers said “God does not tell us what He is going to do, He reveals who He is”.
It is through the things we go through in our life, where we wonder what we are supposed to do, that through those uncertain days, we discover who the Lord really is.
Chuck Smith, founder of Calvary Chapel observed; “When the church becomes what the Lord wants the church to be, then the Lord will do for the church what He has been wanting to do for the church all along.”
The Lord wants to work in your life. He wants to demonstrate His power. He is wanting to demonstrate His greatness. The Lord wants to show to the world how great His power and love is.
What He needs is a heart that is “Completely Towards Him”. A heart completely towards Him is all that is required for us to receive the fullness and the richness of Gods blessings.
2 Chronicles 16:9 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…
Do you want the Lords blessing upon your life? Do you want the Lord to use you mightily in your life? Do you want to see the Lords greatness and mighty power displayed through your life? All that is required to receive the fullness and the richness of Gods blessing in your life, is that you would align your heart with His.
When Asa, the King of Judah was a younger man, he recognized that he was weak and dependant on the Lord. Because Asa depended on the Lord, the Lord delivered into Asa hands the kingdoms of the Ethiopians and the Nubians when the came to attack Asa and the nation of Judah.
2 Chronicles 14:1 So Abijah rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. Then Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land was quiet for ten years. 2 Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God, 3 for he removed the altars of the foreign gods and the high places, and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images. 4 He commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment. 5 He also removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom was quiet under him. 6 And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest; he had no war in those years, because the LORD had given him rest. 7 Therefore he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and make walls around them, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us, because we have sought the LORD our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered. 8 And Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah who carried shields and spears, and from Benjamin two hundred and eighty thousand men who carried shields and drew bows; all these were mighty men of valor. 9 Then Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah. 10 So Asa went out against him, and they set the troops in battle array in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. 11 And Asa cried out to the LORD his God, and said, “LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!” 12 So the LORD struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.
It was after Asa had become strong and powerful, that he began to rely on other people instead of the Lord, like the King of Syria
2 Chronicles 16:1-9 1 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 2 Then Asa brought silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and of the king’s house, and sent to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying, 3 “Let there be a treaty between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. See, I have sent you silver and gold; come, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.” 4 So Ben-hadad heeded King Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel. They attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali. 5 Now it happened, when Baasha heard it, that he stopped building Ramah and ceased his work. 6 Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones and timber of Ramah, which Baasha had used for building; and with them he built Geba and Mizpah. 7 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: “Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. 8 Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand.
The Lord said these things to King Asa of Judah after he had made an alliance with king Hadad, the king of Syria.
2 Chronicles 16:9 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.
All the Lord was looking for, was for Asa to look to him instead of trying to figure everything out for himself.
Instead of asking the Lord what to do and then waiting for the Lord to move for him, Asa took matters into his own hands and tried to set up a friendship between himself and the King of Syria. The problem with this was that he should not have sought an alliance with Syria, because they were the enemy of the Lord.
When we begin to rely on people, and things other than just waiting and trusting in the Lord, then we loose that place of favor before the Lord where He leads us, guides us, provides for us and uses us. The Lord really wants to work His mighty power in your life. He wants to demonstrate to you how great He is.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Make the building up and strengthening of Jesus kingdom your constant desire and action of your life. Jesus said that if you will do that, He will take care of all the other things.
“When your heart is completely towards the Lord, then He will make you a channel that His Love, His Power, His Blessings will flow out from…” Chuck Smith
2 Chronicles 17:1 Then Jehoshaphat his son (Asa’s Son) reigned in his place, and strengthened himself against Israel. 2 And he placed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which Asa his father had taken. 3 Now the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals, 4 but sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to the acts of Israel. 5 Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah gave presents to Jehoshaphat, and he had riches and honor in abundance. 6 And his heart took delight in the ways of the LORD; moreover he removed the high places and wooden images from Judah.
Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son also followed in his Fathers footsteps. He “Took delight in the ways of the Lord.” Maybe you have also determined that you would “Take delight in the ways of the Lord”, but you have been, and are experiencing a lot of difficulty and trials in your life.
Notice what happened to Jehoshaphat after he determined to follow the Lord:
2 Chronicles 20:1 It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. 2 Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi). 3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD. 5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, 6 and said: “O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? 7 Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? 8 And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, 9 “If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’ 10 And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir—whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them— 11 here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit. 12 O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
What kind of a man is Jehoshaphat? He set himself to seek the Lord and he asked help from the Lord. He recognized that it was not who he was that would determine the outcome, but instead who the Lord is that would bring victory.
In the following verses, the Lord is going to show us how to overcome every enemy that wants to destroy our life:
2 Chronicles 20:13 Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the LORD. 14 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly 15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. 17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.” 18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the LORD, worshiping the LORD. 19 Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with voices loud and high. 20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever.” 22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. 23 For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
How did they win the battle? Instead of moving forward to fight, they stood still. Instead of sending a great army to fight, they sent those who could sing and praise the Lord to lead the army. As the enemy observed God’s people praising and singing to Him, they were defeted.
2 Chronicles 20:24 So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped. 25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much. 26 And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, for there they blessed the LORD; therefore the name of that place was called The Valley of Berachah until this day.
The Valley of Berachah means “Blessing”. There will be some who are reading this study who really need the Lord to help you right now. Perhaps you need His help so desperately that you are not sure if you are going to make it unless your receive help soon.
There may be some who have sinned and need the Lords forgiveness. There are others who feel that because they have failed so many times in their life, that God cannot bless you. In fact you feel like you are not even worth of the Lord’s blessing in your life.
Help from the Lord, blessing from Him, comes not because of who you are, but because of who He is. The Lord really wants to bless you and your life, and He wants for you to be open to the possibility that He is going to bless you.
It is not because of what you have done, but because of what Jesus has done for you.
If the Lord were to keep track of our sins and punish us immediately for them, none of us would be here right now.
Psalms 130:3 If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
The Lord delights in forgiving our sins, that is the reason that Jesus came and suffered so much, so that we could experience this mercy and forgiveness.
So, His mercy is upon you right now, not his wrath.
Lamentations 3:22 Through the LORD’S mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.
In the Book of Numbers, there is the story of what happened when all the children of Israel began to complain against the Lord. As Moses and Aaron watch the people cry out in complaint to the Lord, notice what they do.
Numbers 14 1 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. 2 And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 So they said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.” 5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. 6 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, “a land which flows with milk and honey.’ 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them.
Moses reminds the people that the Lord “Delights in them” and that “He will bring them into the land and give it to them”. All that they needed to do to receive the blessing was to trust Him and not allow themselves to complain and doubt Him before the blessing came.
There is never a lack of blessing on Gods part. That is His purpose, to Bless people. It is the Will of God to bless your life. All that He requires is that you align your heart and your desires, with His desires.
“If you don’t strive to Obtain it, then you don’t have to strive to Maintain it”. Chuck Smith
Today in churches all across America it is being taught that blessing from the Lord depends on your faithfulness to Him. That the only reason that you have not experienced the favor of the Lord is that you do not have enough faith. No, it is not because of who you are, it is Because of who He is, that all good things should come to you. He wants to pour out such a blessing upon you that you cannot contain it.
Our part is to believe in His goodness and that He really wants to bless us. While we are waiting, to praise and thank Him for what He has already done and for all that is on it’s way to us. Then, as He brings the blessing and we have not strived to gain it ourselves, then those good things that do come, will remain and continue also by His hand, not ours.
It is not who you are that brings the blessings of life. It is not because you deserve them. It is simply because your God is so good and loving and kind that this is what He always does, pour out goodness on those who believe Him and wait upon Him.
