GOD’S WORD- Eternal Truth
“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 blameless before Him.” 2 Chronicles 16: 9
I love this Scripture. It describes the reasons I feel confident in crying out to God.
I discovered this brilliant nugget of truth while searching the Scriptures in my girlhood. It grabbed my attention! With excitement I imagined the Living God from His throne in Heaven looking up & down, back & forth throughout the earth, searching for His child whose heart is blameless with sincere faith in Him. I pictured this one and that one, suffering, yearning, hoping against hope for God’s provision of mercy, healing and deliverance. With confidence in His Fatherly care, I lifted those names up to HIM.
And of course, I cried out with my own needs. I lifted my eyes to Him in full faith & dependence, and prayed for His mercy to fall upon me.
I believe that this Scripture has a threefold essence: (1) It reveals God’s heart of MERCY. (2) It promises HIS POWER. (3) It compels us to PRAY.
An earthly Father scans the playground to be sure his child is safe; a mother scans the lake as her child bobs up and down in the water; each one stands poised to jump and run to help if a sudden need arises! Each is alert to his child’s cry. But our situation is all the better. We are not at play. We are trudging through the slough of this dangerous world, often carrying heavy burdens. We have to climb mountains of difficulty as we scramble to hold tight to those entrusted to our care. We’re under attack all the way, dodging arrows and darts, and sometimes stumbling with pain as we succumb to them. Sometimes we fall. Often, we look up to His seeing eye and cry for help. We readily recognize that we are totally helpless without His deliverance. “O Lord, in the acceptable time: in the multitude of thy mercy hear me.” (Psalm 69:13)
God’s power is at work on our behalf. He is ABLE to save! He is ABLE to deliver us! We can claim the “exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.” (Ephesians 1: 19,20) “His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ Jesus when He raised Him from the dead and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places “ is ours!
I love 2 Chronicles 16:9. I do cry out to God for myself, but most frequently this scripture prompts me to lift others to Him as I place their names in this promise. “Father, I know that you are searching for your child who needs you desperately. Please show yourself STRONG on behalf of ____________ today. He needs healing, Lord. She needs wisdom, Lord. This family needs untangling. That situation needs deliverance. This needs your direct intervention. Please deliver him from danger. Please hold her in Your everlasting arms.”
At any minute God may break in. “God meets life,” writes Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest. “Keep your life so constant in its contact with God that His surprising power may break out on the right hand and on the left.”
That’s the essence of my practical “living out” of this Scripture. It drives me to intercessory prayer. I pray with confidence! It is the Living God who makes this promise. I bow humbly before Him and wait for Him to show His mercy and power in the best ways He shall choose.
