The Importance Of Being On God's Side

It is reported that Abraham Lincoln once stated: “I do not boast that God is on my side, I humbly pray that I am on God’s side.” Lincoln’s words paraphrase the thoughts of Azariah the prophet as expressed to King Asa of Judah (2 Chronicles 15:1-15).

After the Spirit of God came upon Azariah, he said:

“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” (2 Chronicles 15:2; cf. 2 Chronicles 24:20).

Throughout history, there are folks who have done despicable deeds while boldly claiming that God was on their side. Just because we call ourselves a “Christian” doesn’t guarantee that God is “on our side” any more than being an ancient Israelite guaranteed that God was on theirs (Hebrews 3:8-12; cf. Exodus 17:1-7; Numbers 14:1-38; Numbers 20:1-13).

God is on the side of those who are on His side — who, through an intense study of the Scriptures (2 Timothy 2:15 ASV), know His heart and mind and do His will (Matthew 7:21; cf. James 1:22-25) — not those who insist on convincing God and others that their way is right.

In the Old Testament, the Lord indicates that He sides with the oppressed and the less fortunate (Isaiah 58:6-7; Isaiah 58:10; Deuteronomy 15:7; cf. James 2:15-17; 1 John 3:16-18). For us as Christians, that means it is right to be on the side of those who are being wronged and those who need our help.

Beloved, instead of jumping into a situation with the presumption that God is on our side, we need to first be certain that we are on His side (Exodus 32:26).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets