King Asa

2 Chronicles 14-15

He started out so well. Certainly it was no easy task to carry out what King Asa did in the first years of his reign. Removing the altars of the foreign gods and the high places and breaking down the sacred pillars, surely would have got some opposition from the idol-serving people of Judah. But he didn't just stop with that. He further commanded the people of Judah to "seek the Lord God of their fathers and to observe the law and the commandment." (2 Chronicles 14:4) 
For 10 years he enjoyed the peace and quiet in his land, which the Lord had blessed him with. The land of Judah took advantage of this time of rest and built up cities, and walls with towers, gates and bars. They boosted the numbers of their army, with mighty men of valour. (2 Chronicles 14:7) "So they built and prospered." 
Serving the Lord was EASY- right?
Then the time of testing came.
The Ethiopians showed up, sporting an army 3 times the size of Judah, with chariots and all. Surely God was mistaken. Why would God allow them to build up their army, and make them fight their first battle against an army of a million men, PLUS chariots? All their hard work over the past 10 restful years, would just be destroyed if the Ethiopians got their hands on it... Some might have thought like this. But not King Asa! He cried out to the Lord his God and said, "Lord it is nothing for Thee to help, whether with many, or those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on Thee." (v.11)
That's just what God was waiting to hear! He had no problem leading HIS army (v.13) in victory against the Ethiopians.God was waiting for the chance to show His people that He ALONE can protect them. They can't rely on their own strength.
Before long, Judah won the battle, and plundered the cities, gathering much spoil. They ended up with MORE than they started with!
I am the first to admit that I often call upon God as a last-ditch-effort, instead of as my first response. It's easy to read about the people calling upon the Lord in dependance, but hard to live it out sometimes. But remember, the Lord loves to bless his people who depend and rely on Him. We can come to God anytime, with anything, 24/7!


"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13