Asa

[Read 1 Kings 15:9-24]

…the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all his days.

Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He removed the altars of foreign gods from his Kingdom and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment.

Because Asa was loyal and faithful to the Lord his God, the kingdom had peace and was quiet many years.

In 2 Chronicles 14, we see that the faith of Asa was put to a severe test when Zerah the Ethiopian invaded his kingdom with a million men and 300 chariots. From every human viewpoint the large army from Egypt would sweep everything before it. But during the years of peace Asa had not given this time to amusement and pleasure; he had been preparing for any emergency. He had an army trained for conflict; he had endeavored to lead his people to make their peace with God. And now, although his forces were fewer in number than the enemy, his faith in the One whom he trusted did not weaken. Having sought the Lord in the days of peace and prosperity, the king could now rely upon Him in the day of adversity.

Asa’s prayer to God while facing this invading army shows the trust that he had in God’s power. “It is nothing for you to help,” he pleaded, “whether with many, or with those who have no power: help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You.”

The prayer of Asa is one that every Christian believer may offer. We fight in a warfare, not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, and against spiritual wickedness in high places. See Ephesians 6:12. In life's conflict we are met with overwhelming challenges and disappointments that in our own power we are helpless to solve. Our hope is not in man, but in the living God. When we meet the day dressed with the armor of His righteousness, we may gain the victory over every foe. 

Elder Paul Kenyon
Sturgeon Bay Seventh Day Adventist





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