Solomon’s great-grandson, Asa, ascended the throne and immediately launched a widespread reform movement. He enforced God’s laws, commanded the people to seek the one true God and officially sanctioned sin – the worshipping of foreign idols, paganism and the like.
Asa did “what was good and right in the sight of the Lord his God” (2 Chronicles 14:11) and there was peace in Judah for 10 years during his reign.
But then an enemy rose against him. Isn’t that always the way? You’re minding your own business, doing your best to serve the Lord, but trouble still finds you. You get a worrying diagnosis, you lose your job, your marriage is threatened, or it could be any number of things that qualify as ‘trouble’.
Can you imagine Asa’s frame of mind? Several worry-filled sleepless nights as Zerah’s formidable army of 1 million soldiers loomed on the horizon. To top it of, the Ethiopian challenger also had 300 chariots. The combined total of Benjamin and Judah’s fighting men was only 580,000 and they were most likely footmen and horsemen with spears and bows (1 Chr 14:8). The difference in manpower and equipment was laughable.
But then came the game-changer in verse 11.
“Asa called out to the Lord his God, saying, “O Lord , there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and the weak; so help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in and rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord , You are our God; let not man prevail against You.” (2 Chronicles 14:11 AMP)
Asa recognised his weaknesses and limitations but knew that the Lord our God has none. He asked God for help and our God came through in an awesome way.
“The Lord struck the Ethiopians with defeat before Asa and Judah and the Ethiopians fled” (1 Chronicles 14:12, AMP)
Then Asa and his army pursued the would-be invaders and not only did they destroy them, they also went back home with much spoil (1 Chr 14:14-15).
I love that the Lord’s actions came first (He struck with defeat even before Asa launched his plan of attack) before the actions of Asa’s army.
It’s the same today. Jesus already “helped” us even before we knew Him. He died on the cross and struck the enemy of our souls with defeat before we ever gave our lives to Him. And to top it all off, He left us a Helper – the Holy Spirit, who is always on standby to pray, intercede, comfort, strengthen and help us.
John 14:16 (AMP), “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever—the Spirit of Truth…”
No matter the powerful enemy you face today, the Lord is able, willing and ready to help you. The odds may seem insurmountable like they probably did to Asa, but I want you to remember what Jesus said in Luke 18:27 (AMP), “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.
Regardless of what you face today, the #Lord is ready to help you. Share on XScripture verses about Help – For when your heart is overwhelmed
- Isaiah 41:10 (AMP), “Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation]”.
- Psalm 121:1-2 (AMP), “I will lift up my eyes to the hills [of Jerusalem]— From where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord , Who made heaven and earth”.
- Psalm 54:4 (AMP), “Behold, God is my helper and ally; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul [my upholder]”.
- Psalm 118:7 (AMP), “The Lord is on my side, He is among those who help me; Therefore I will look [in triumph] on those who hate me”.
- Psalm 34:17 (AMP), “When the righteous cry [for help], the Lord hears And rescues them from all their distress and troubles”.
- Psalm 28:7 (AMP), “The Lord is my strength and my [impenetrable] shield; My heart trusts [with unwavering confidence] in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I shall thank Him and praise Him”.
This post was originally written for Five Minute Friday but it may also be linked up at these places.
Your words are a gift for these trying times! Thanks for your post. Karen 🙂 (FMF #4)
Every so often God plants a story like this in the OT, and it ‘s like finding a diamond!
That’s exactly how I felt when I stumbled on that story!
Thanks Karen 🙂
I love how God defeated the enemy before the battle! We could worry a lot less if we just remembered this!
Yes! I need to remind myself of this.
The battle can seem fearful long,
and we may be afraid,
but we never are as strong
as when we call for aid
from our God, the Lord Most High,
the comfort of the soul,
who took our place, alone, to die,
and rising, made us whole
to walk with Him through valley dire,
a baleful forest ride,
and emerge from frost and fire
on the other side
where, in shining sun awaits
the bejeweled splendour, Heaven’s gates.
“We never are as strong
as when we call for aid
from our God, the Lord Most High” – love this line. Now if only I can remember that. Thank you Andrew
My pastor often reminds us that “we have a defeated foe” and I’m thinking this is the passage that inspires that statement. It’s crazy to think about how many battles in our life we have given up on instead of turning to God, battles that He has already won on our behalf. Lord, help me!
Amie, FMF #13
It boggles the mind, doesn’t it? That we give up…if only we’d realise God has already won the battle.
Our Great Help!
Indeed!
Amen! what a gift to know we are helped even before we called for it! He is so faithful and good!
This is such great encouragement. What a comfort to know His help is always there. Thank you for sharing! I’m visiting today from the Grace & Truth link up. Have a great weekend Wemi!
Thank you Marielle
I appreciate your added narratives to scripture passages. This is such an empowering passage.
Thank you for reading and commenting Stephanie
I love that God is an All-is-Well God! (2 Kings 4:26) – and the stories of how He fights for us – there’s no better stories!
Such great, faith-bolstering stories!
This is a wonderful message to have on my mind as we begin this new week, Wemi. Thanks so much for giving us a fresh look at this story through the lens of how our great God helps us.