When confronted with his sin in 2 Chronicles 16:7-10, King Asa refused to humble himself before God, but acts out in rage against the prophet Hanani and throws him into prison. Years later, the still unrepentant Asa is stricken with a disease of his feet, and the Bible makes the following statement about him…"And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.” (2 Chronicles 16:12) What caused a man who had once sought the Lord with all his heart to become hardened to the correction of God? In a word, PRIDE! His foolish pride caused King Asa to abandon his covenant with God (2 Chronicles 15:12) and to seek assistance from inferior sources (the king of Syria, and his own physicians). He never found a cure for what ailed him, because he never bothered to address the true source of his problems. He did not recognize that the disease of his feet was a manifestation of the disease of his divided heart.
In my own life, I sometimes find myself struggling in my walk with God. My feet become diseased in a spiritual sense. I seek remedies from a multitude of worldly sources but find no lasting relief. It is in those moments I must turn my heart back toward God, and make Him my sole desire. The angst, the discontent, the lacking peace, and the failing strength are the result of a heart that has wandered from God. We are created to walk in perfect fellowship with God. Our lives only work as they should when our hearts are perfectly directed toward Him. The moment my heart starts to drift, I begin to struggle, even though it may take years to manifest itself in my walk.
What should you do when we find yourself in this predicament? Follow the advice of 2 Chronicles 15:4 "But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.” Turn your heart back to God. He’s waiting for you. If you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him again, and He will show himself strong on your behalf. Don’t allow pride to keep you from turning back to Him. God is the answer to what ails you. Only in Him will you find your cure.