2 Chronicles 14:11

New International Version

 

Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.”

For Encouragement

No one is so strong that they never experience a moment of weakness when they need support. The issue, therefore, is not about the need for help. It is about the source of the support to which one turns. Only the arrogant would argue to the contrary, and their destiny has always been folly and regrettable, for it takes humility to ask for help. So, who do you turn to when you find yourself in the straits of life?

King Asa has done well so far after his coronation. He has rid Judah of idolatry, and the nation has turned to God and sought Him at the king’s command. Things are going well, and Judah is enjoying peace and rest on every side.

But the enemy does not rest from his attack on the people of God. He roams around like a lion, seeking whom he might devour (1 Pt. 5:8). Is any house quiet, and who is in charge? So, from faraway Africa, the enemy roars through Zerah the Cushite, who comes against Judah with his army of about a million and three hundred chariots (1 Chron 14:9 NLT). What is Judah’s feeble army of three hundred thousand against the mighty Cushite hoard?

Every challenge that confronts the believer is a test of faith. Unfortunately, many have forgotten our Savior at such times and failed woefully. King Asa did not. He confessed his helplessness before the Cushite army to God, turned to the One who alone could help Judah, and pleaded for His intervention. His prayer is a model for the hopeless and needy (11) and is worth memorizing during this lent.

Not everybody has the humility to call on the Lord when in need. It is like the story of a man whose chair gave way under him during a Sunday worship service. Guess who he called on for help as he tumbled to the floor—Akonodi, the fetish of his local area. He was in church, but his trust was in a fetish. It was not so for Asa. He called on the name of the Lord for help in his crisis.

Yahweh is Almighty, unmatched by any power or deity. He is the Helper of the powerless against the mighty—the only dependable God on whom the child of God can rely and seek refuge. We march against our enemies in His name—the name above every name, at the mention of which every knee bows in heaven, on earth, and under—the name of Jesus. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords, and every tongue will confess Him as Lord to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:11-12). 

As Asa confessed, Jesus Christ is our God, who has overcome the world for our sake (Jn. 16:33). He will not allow mortals to prevail against His children. Even when the world does its worst against the believer, we are more than conquerors through Jesus, who loved us (Rom 8:37).

In response to the prayer of King Asa, God struck down the Cushites against the army of Judah, who gained a mighty victory in the Valley of Zephatha (2 Chron 14:12).

So, by the same power and authority, you also can rout your enemies on every front in the mighty name of Jesus for the glory of the Father, amen!