“Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, “‘LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the might. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you.”’
~ 2 Chronicles 14:11
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you like to do perfectly whatever it is that you are doing? How do you know when you have done perfectly what it was that you were doing? Do you begin wanting to perfectly do whatever it is that you began doing – such as staying within the lines while coloring a picture or winning all the games on one of your computer games or making your bed and picking up all your clothes in your room every morning or . . . but after you inadvertently color outside the lines as you are coloring a picture, you end up not caring if you color outside the lines again or after you lose one of your ‘guys’ while you are playing one of your computer games, you end up not caring if you lose the rest of the ‘guys’ or after you left your bed unmade one morning and did not pick up your clothes off the floor, you end up not making the bed again or caring if you leave your clothes on the floor. A lot of guys and gals make New Year’s Eve resolutions or pledges. Some guys and gals who smoke will make a New Year’s Eve resolution or pledge to stop smoking. Some guys and gals who are overweight will make a New Year’s Eve resolution or pledge to lose weight. Some guys and gals who have not been attending a church regularly will make a News Year’s resolution or pledge to begin to attend church again regularly. Have you ever made a New Year’s Eve resolution? For a guy or gal to make a New Year’s Eve resolution to do something that would help him or her physically and/or spiritually is a good thing to do. Your grandpaa does not remember through having made a New Year’s Eve resolution or pledge that he remembers keeping but . . . it is one thing for a guy, gal or kid to begin to do what he or she has resolved or pledged to do but it is another thing for the guy, gal or kid to continue to do what he or she has resolved or pledged to do. Your grandpaa has asked the guys who are on the field missionary team here in Guatemala to read a book called Finishing Strong. Your grandpaa knows that a guy invariably will arrive in his host country with a resolve and a personal pledge to run his missionary life race really strong but after he takes a few hits – such as being criticized, getting sick, receiving disappointing news, not seeing any results, etc., the guy may begin to not care if he does anything as a missionary. Your grandpaa is hoping to help the guys who are on his field missionary team to put all the life garbage that they have accumulated over their lifetimes behind them, to look at the life markers that are ahead of them and to move through those life markers that are ahead of them feeling strong, ready and able to reach the next life marker. Your grandpaa has been hardwired by God to be able to create or design ministries or activities that will meet or answer perceived felt needs, to be able to make happen or implement what God has helped your grandpaa to create or design and to get results and to be able to bring closure to what God has helped your grandpaa to create or design. Your grandpaa is trusting God that He will help him to ‘finish strong’ his tenure on planet Earth.
Asa began really strong his life race as a Judah king – doing whatever he could to please God. Two kingdoms of Israelite people group’s guys and gal was the result of the Israelite people group’s tribal clans conflicting on who they wanted to be their king. The Israelite people group’s northern kingdom’s tribal clans kept the name Israel while the Israelite people group’s southern kingdom’s tribal clans adopted the name of Judah with both kingdoms being within the land area that God had led His specially chosen guys and gals to to always to have as their very own land to live in if . . . Asa after the split became Judah’s third king. The tribal clans of Judah, Benjamin and Simeon made up Judah’s land area. The other nine Israelite people group’s tribal clans made up Israel’s land area. The chronicler recounts in 2 Chronicles 14 the first ten years or so of Asa’s reign as a Judah king. Asa lived about 2900 years ago. Because Asa wanted to perfectly please God, he had foreign alters taken down, high places removed, sacred stones smashed and Asherah poles cut down. Asa wanted God only worshipped by God’s specially chosen guys and gals who were living in Judah’s land area. Asa and the guys and gals who were living in Judah’s land area would enjoy peace for a time but . . . over time an enemy people group from a land area that was located south of Judah’s land area decided to overrun Judah’s land area and . . . the enemy people group – the Cushite people group, had a very large army along with three hundred chariots. Zerah was the Cushite people group’s leader. Asa did not have any trouble recruiting an army of brave guys. 300,000 of the guys were from the Judah tribal clan. They came equipped with large shields and spears. 280,000 of the guys were from the Benjamin tribal clan. They came armed with bows and small shields. Even though Asa had a lot of guys ready to fight with him against Zerah and his Cushite people group soldiers, Asa was not ready to fight. The chronicler wrote in what is now verse 11 says, “Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, “‘LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the might. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you.”’ Even with having over a half a million guys ready to fight for him and alongside him, Asa knew that he could not fight any of his enemies without God’s help.
Have you begun your life races wanting to always perfectly do what is right and good to do? Do you want to perfectly run your life races in ways that will have you finish strong your life races? Asa began his king life race doing what was perfect to do but . . . another chapter will tell a different story. God gave Asa a miraculous victory over Zerah and his Cushite people group’s soldiers. God will always help guys, gals and kids who ask Him for help.
2 Chronicles 14 (284)