Along with the name of each king and the length of his rule, the Bible usually gives us a detail concerning whether the king did right or did evil in the sight of the Lord. You might assume that God would prolong the reign of good kings and bless them with peace and prosperity, while shortening the reign of bad kings and afflicting them with all sorts of hardships. While this sometimes happens, it is not always the case.
For instance, consider the experience of King Amaziah. According to II Kings 14:3, "he did what was right in the sight of the Lord." Meanwhile, Joash (also Jehoash) was reigning as king over Israel, and "he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam...but walked in them" (II Kings 13:11). When the time came that the two kings faced each other in battle, what do you suppose happened? Surely God protected His man Amaziah and helped him to prevail against Joash, right? Not exactly.
Instead of Judah coming out on top with its righteous king, "Judah was defeated by Israel; everyone fled home" (vs. 12). King Joash captured Amaziah, tore down Jerusalem's wall, plundered gold and silver - even robbing the king's treasuries and God's temple itself - and took hostages. Sometimes bad things happen to good people, even in the events of war and peace. Certainly there were those who wondered where God was and why He would allow the righteous to suffer a defeat at the hands of the wicked. We aren't told the specifics of why, but we do get a clue earlier in the chapter.
It would appear that the war between Judah and Israel was ill-advised and prompted by Amaziah's arrogance. You can be a follower of the Lord and still have some personality issues. Joash tried to avoid a fight, but when Amaziah pressed the issue, the King of Israel prevailed. Perhaps God was teaching humility to Amaziah, or at least showing that you can't rely on God to bail you out of consequences you have brought on yourself. Being in relationship with God does not give you a "Get Out Of Problems Free" card. Rather, God helps you through your problems. It is worth noting that Amaziah did not die as a result of this battle. In fact, he reigned for many more years, serving a total of 26 years as king, 15 of them after his enemy Joash died. He seems to have not been so eager for fights after his tangle with Israel.
P.S. Don't forget that King Joash's nation of Israel also consisted of God's people. In fact, the next king, Jeroboam II, who was also evil, still enjoyed the protection of God because of His favor upon the Israelites (vs. 26 and 27).
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