My dad was in his eighties when he became a Christian. I call him my dad, even though he was my stepfather. He and my mother met through a mutual friend, became good friends, and finally married. He was the only father I had ever known. My birth father left before I was born, and I saw him only three times in my entire life. I loved my stepfather as a father, and he loved me like a daughter.

My dad would not go to worship with us. He belonged to a particular denomination, and he thought his belief was fine. Two things changed his mind. When our house burned, he saw the love the church expressed to me, to him and my mother. When my mother died, the church surrounded us, and he was astounded by the concern they showed him. He began studying the Bible, talked with our minister, and one day without warning decided to become a Christian. What a change! He loved God, loved reading his Bible, and wanted to encourage others to do what he did. He saw things that needed to be changed in his life, and he changed them. Was he perfect? He was not. He just lived each day trying to live his life for the Lord.

Such a man was King Asa. He, like my father, was a good man. He did what was right in God’s eyes, but something was missing. Azariah, the prophet, paid Asa a visit. He told him, “The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you” (Second Chronicles 15:2 ESV).

 In this meeting, Azariah talked about the sins of Israel. As king of Judah, Asa needed to know the mistakes made by Israel and the cost involved in disobeying God and not staying faithful to Him. Azariah pointed out that Israel was without a true God, without a teaching priest, and without law. They had worshiped idols and committed every sin one could imagine. They had lived in turmoil, suffered great vexations, and been attacked by nation after nation. Azariah did not want such an end to come to Judah, so he encouraged Asa with these words. “But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded” (Second Chronicles 15:7).

 Asa could have ignored Azariah’s words, but Scripture says that he heard Azariah’s words. He did take courage. He put away the abominable idols. He repaired the altar of the Lord. He gathered the people together, and they offered sacrifices to God. Then Asa made a covenant between God and the people to seek Him with all their hearts and souls, and they swore an oath to the Lord.

King Asa even removed his mother from being queen because she had made an idol and worshiped it. He cut down the image, crushed it, and then burned it. It is obvious that Asa was serious about making some changes.

Because of Asa’s courage, God gave the people rest from their enemies until the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign. Asa got himself involved in an agreement with the king of Syria. Because of his relying on the king of Syria and not on God, he lost favor with God. Through the last days of his life, he was afflicted with wars and also with a disease in his feet. Even through his disease, he did not ask God’s help. He relied only on his doctors.

What a sad ending to the life of a king that started out to be a servant of the Lord. He ruled the people with commitment to serve only God, but he later turned his alliance to an earthly king. He knew the consequences, but he chose to trust an enemy of God rather than his creator.

But go back to verse 17. It says, “The heart of Asa was wholly true all his days.” Simply put, Asa was not a worshiper of idols during his entire life. Was he perfect? He was not. He made mistakes, but his heart was considered to be perfect. He had the right motives with regard to the worship of God.

This story says a lot to us as Christians today. When we see the error of our ways, we need to change and determine to serve God to the best of our ability. We need to understand that worship is of great importance to God. He cares that we honor only Him and that we do it in the way He has laid out for us in the New Testament. God wants us to rely on Him.

As we begin this new year, it’s a good time to evaluate our spiritual lives and determine what we might need to change to become “wholly true” the rest of our days.

Sandra Oliver