“For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His…” 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NASB)
In the past, I had my own interpretation of this verse.
“For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly rebuke those who keep messing up.” (TDT – The Dara Translation)
I thought God looked down from heaven, waiting for me to mess up so He could punish me. But not so. God is looking for someone to bless. I like God’s version much better.
Religion may tell us “God is going to get you,” or “Now you’ve made God mad,” but God is not mean, mad, or testy. He is patient, kind, and not easily angered.
Here is 2 Chronicles 16:9 in its entirety.
“For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars.”
This verse is speaking to King Asa who wasn’t asking the Lord for guidance. Because of this, his enemies had the upper hand. Hanani, a prophet, came to remind Asa of past victories when he had relied on God, even though some of those enemies had been larger and stronger. This time King Asa was not trusting God, and because of this, they would continue to have war with their enemies. Instead of taking personal responsibility, King Asa became angry and imprisoned Hanani.
Sometime later, King Asa developed a serious foot disease. Instead of seeking the Lord, he relied only upon doctors and ended up dying. The Lord wanted to heal him, yet King Asa did not turn to Him.
King Asa had decided to live his life without God which caused all his problems and eventually led to his early death.
We have the same decision to make. We can do things our own way or invite God into every part of our lives.
As God looks around the earth in search of someone whose heart belongs to Him, may it be me, and may it be you.
God is looking for someone to bless.
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