The prophet Azariah voiced one of the most basic lessons in the Bible: God draws near to us when we draw near to Him, but He will allow us to turn away from Him if we choose to do so. God loves us and has made a way for us to be reconciled through the sacrifice of His Son so that we can be forgiven and draw near to Him. But, as He did with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, the Lord allows us to decide whether we want to follow Him or not. With our choice comes consequences and responsibilities, and so Azariah realized that the Lord will abandon us if we turn from Him.
After King Asa heard the message from the Lord delivered by Azariah, he turned the land of Judah and Benjamin back to the Lord by removing all the idols from the land and repairing the altar of the Lord. He even deposed his own grandmother, Maacah, from her position as queen mother because she had made an asherah pole. Asa remained fully committed to the Lord and led the people to seek after God. 2 Chronicles 15:15 reads--And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought Him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around. (ESV)
So let's follow King Asa's lead and draw near to the Lord. Let's eagerly seek Him with all our heart so that we may find Him, and so that He will continue to draw near to us.
Singing His Praises,
Joey Culpepper